The Indianapolis Colts are mulling the idea of extending their head coach search to a third round of candidates, and it appears New York Giants defensive coordinator Wink Martindale is considered a front-runner.
The Colts slightly narrowed down their list of 13 candidates to eight “finalists” for the second round. However, the organization may need an extra round of interviews when the weekend is over.
According to Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News, Martindale reportedly is considered a front-runner for the vacancy as the team prepares for Round 3.
A source tells me Giants DC Don Martindale is considered one of the frontrunners for the Colts HC job as Round 2 of interviews comes to a close. But it’s not clear who all Indy intends to include in Round 3, how long it would take & what impact that would have on the process https://t.co/hj3ZqdW3FP
— Pat Leonard (@PLeonardNYDN) February 2, 2023
It isn’t clear if Martindale was initially going to be a part of the second round of interviews. His second interview was reported after Dan Quinn withdrew his name from the candidacy.
Martindale has an impressive resume and brings an infectious personality to the locker room so it’s not totally surprising the Colts feel he could be a strong leader as a head coach.
Considering the way the league is trending with younger offensive minds currently getting more opportunities, hiring Martindale would go against the grain somewhat.
The following candidates also received a second interview and could be involved in a third round of meetings:
- Colts interim HC Jeff Saturday
- Denver Broncos DC Ejiro Evero
- Los Angeles Rams DC Raheem Morris
- New York Giants DC Wink Martindale
- Cincinnati Bengals OC Brian Callahan
- Green Bay Packers STC Rich Bisaccia
- Philadelphia Eagles OC Shane Steichen
- Detroit Lions DC Aaron Glenn
You can follow along for the latest updates with the head coach search via our tracker.
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