In February 2020, the Baltimore Ravens signed defensive coordinator Don “Wink” Martindale to a reported three-year deal. NFL.com described him at the time as the NFL’s highest-paid defensive coordinator, but its report did not disclose the contract’s dollar value or financial terms. That salary ranking is historical, not a current comparison.
What the 2020 report says about Martindale’s contract
NFL.com reported on February 22, 2020, citing NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport, that the Ravens had signed Martindale to a new three-year deal. The report said the agreement made him the league’s highest-paid defensive coordinator at that time.
The report does not state a total contract value, annual salary, guaranteed money, bonus structure, or other financial terms. It therefore supports the deal’s reported length and the contemporaneous pay ranking, but not a specific dollar figure.
Why “highest-paid” needs a date
“Highest-paid defensive coordinator” describes the ranking reported in February 2020. It should not be read as a claim about coordinator salaries today: the NFL.com article does not compare Martindale’s deal with later contracts, and the reviewed sources do not establish a current league pay ranking.
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Martindale’s coaching timeline after the deal
The University of Michigan Athletics biography records Martindale as Baltimore’s defensive coordinator from 2018 through 2021, then the New York Giants’ defensive coordinator from 2022 through 2023. He joined Michigan’s staff in 2024, and the biography describes him as the team’s defensive coordinator in 2025.
In January 2024, NFL.com reported that the Giants and Martindale mutually agreed to part ways after two seasons. The same report noted that New York’s 2023 defense ranked 27th in total defense, 29th against the run, and 26th in scoring defense, while tying for the NFL lead with 31 takeaways. Those figures describe the Giants’ 2023 season; they are not stated as reasons for the 2020 contract or its compensation.
Rank #2
What the available figures do—and do not—show
Michigan’s biography credits Martindale’s Ravens defenses with allowing 292.9 yards per game in 2018 and 300.6 in 2019, and with allowing 84.5 rushing yards per game in 2021. These are season-specific performance figures, not contract terms. The sources do not establish how the Ravens set his compensation or whether any performance measure affected the deal.
A 2026 NFL.com coaching tracker refers to Martindale as a former Michigan coordinator in its hiring-cycle listings. That reference alone does not establish his exact employment status on October 8, 2026, so it cannot support a definitive statement about his current employer.
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