By a number of measures, the Baltimore Ravens had a top-five defensive in the league in 2019. With that mind, it's no surprise to see the franchise locking up defensive coordinator Don Martindale to a new three-year contract, according to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network. This deal now makes Martindale, who could soon be a top head coaching candidate, the highest-paid defensive coordinator in the entire NFL.
Martindale, 56, first joined the Ravens back in 2012 and served as their linebackers coach until he was promoted to defensive coordinator in 2018. He was also on staff as the Ravens defeated the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII. Prior to landing in Baltimore, Martindale made stops with the Raiders and Broncos.
Lamar Jackson's MVP season in 2019 did take away some of the shine off the Ravens defense, but it was a formidable unit. Martindale's crew allowed the fourth fewest total yards in the league, ranked seventh in the NFL in takeaways (25), and allowed just 15 passing touchdowns (tied for second fewest in the NFL). The Ravens were also the fourth-best rated total defensive team in the league in terms of DVOA.
All that now equates to quite a pay bump for Martindale.
