The Baltimore Ravens continued to keep their attention on their own this offseason, but it wasn’t a player that got the most recent contract extension. The Ravens handed defensive coordinator Don Martindale a brand new three-year deal, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and ESPN’s Jamison Hensley.
After receiving some attention this offseason as a top head-coaching candidate, Baltimore apparently didn’t want Martindale to leave if another round of interviews come up. The new contract makes Martindale the highest-paid defensive coordinator in the NFL, according to Rapoport.
Martindale was championed by several defensive players after Dean Pees first retired following the 2017 season, including Brandon Williams, Brent Urban and Tony Jefferson. With an aggressive scheme that led the league in blitzing percentage last season, Martindale got great results after a few years of lackluster showings under Pees. Martindale’s defenses have finished first and fourth in the last two seasons.
Martindale interviewed with the New York Giants this offseason before they signed Joe Judge. Though a new contract doesn’t necessarily guarantee Martindale couldn’t be wooed away, he had previously said he was content staying with the Ravens and now is compensated well enough to hopefully stick in Baltimore for the foreseeable future.
