The 5 biggest questions facing Giants as they enter pivotal offseason
East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen (left) talks with with president and CEO John Mara (right) before the game against the Washington Commanders at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — With Sunday’s 27-10 win over the Philadelphia Eagles in the books, the New York Giants’ forgettable 2023 season came to an end. Now the real work begins for general manager Joe Schoen and coach Brian Daboll, as they strive to get their program back on track after a major regression in Year 2.
Schoen and Daboll have a daunting to-do list this offseason, beginning with some pressing coaching staff decisions. Here’s a breakdown of the biggest questions that must be answered after a 6-11 season:
Will Wink Martindale be back?
Simmering tension came to the forefront with an explosive report by Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer on Nov. 26 that the relationship between Daboll and defensive coordinator Wink Martindale was in such a “bad place” that a split was expected. The friction stems from a personality conflict between the volatile Daboll and the composed Martindale. The tension escalated as the losses piled up this season.
Martindale hasn’t done much to counter the perception of a fractured relationship in his public comments, and there has been persistent chatter from sources inside the organization and around the league that he wants out. Martindale wants to become a head coach, but that doesn’t seem likely for the 60-year-old, who only got one interview during last year’s hiring cycle.
Martindale is under contract, so he can’t just leave for another defensive coordinator job. The question is whether Daboll wants to try to make the relationship work or whether he’s ready to move on.
It seems likely ownership would prefer to retain Martindale, who was so highly regarded that he got one of his rare head-coaching interviews with the Giants in 2020. Martindale mentioned a raise unprompted when asked about his future in his first comments after Glazer’s report, so perhaps a big payday could ease some hard feelings.
But ownership can only do so much. If the relationship is past the point of no return, there’s no point in forcing Martindale to stay. “Tough conversations,” as Martindale termed it, will take place this week to get the situation resolved. There isn’t much optimism from league sources that things will be smoothed over.
