NFL News: Wink Martindale Reportedly Interviewing for Falcons, Colts DC Jobs

Wink Martindale may be looking for a way to return to the NFL after just one season as Michigan's defensive coordinator.

Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports reported the Atlanta Falcons are interviewing Martindale for their defensive coordinator position on Tuesday. They aren't the only ones, as NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported the Indianapolis Colts will interview him Wednesday.

Pelissero also listed the Cincinnati Bengals as a team that may have interest in Martindale.

Those teams will be busy in the coming days, as Albert Breer of The MMQB reported former Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo is scheduled to interview with the Colts on Wednesday and the Falcons on Thursday.

While Anarumo's defense struggled this season, he helped lead Cincinnati to the Super Bowl during the 2021 campaign and then the AFC Championship Game during the 2022 season with a unit that finished sixth in the league in points allowed.

As for Martindale, he is a longtime veteran coach with a number of stops on his resume.

He began in the college game and was a defensive assistant for Notre Dame, Cincinnati, Western Illinois and Western Kentucky. The Oakland Raiders then hired him as inside linebackers coach in 2004 ahead of eventual stops with the Denver Broncos, Baltimore Ravens and New York Giants.

Martindale was a defensive coordinator in New York and Denver as well, but he is probably best known for his time on the Ravens.

They won the Super Bowl during his first season on the staff in 2012 and went to the playoffs three times in his four years as D.C. from the 2018 through the 2021 campaigns. Baltimore is always known for its strong and physical defense, and that was no different when Martindale was leading the way.

Teams that are interviewing him surely remember that stretch and would like to replicate it with their own defenses.

Still, a return to the NFL would mark a quick exit from Michigan after just one relatively disappointing season.

The Wolverines entered 2024 as reigning champions but went just 8-5 overall. While they took momentum into the offseason with late-season wins over rival Ohio State and Alabama, having to replace their defensive coordinator at this stage of the calendar could impact their approach to recruiting and the transfer portal during the spring window.