4 players who could follow Wink Martindale if the Jacksonville Jaguars hire him as DC

3. Xavier McKinney, safety

Safety Xavier McKinney made headlines last season because he said the Giants weren't letting their leaders lead. According to Wink Martindale, his dissatisfaction was over in-game adjustment, noting that he was disappointed McKinney hadn't told him what the issue was. Apparently, they ultimately mended fences and that was the end of it.

It's also worth noting that McKinney wasn't pleased the Giants weren't interested in giving him an extension last year while fellow draftees Andre Thomas has already gotten a new deal. Maybe New York wasn't sold on him and opted to take a wait-and-see approach.

While they still have time to reach an agreement, it looks like the Alabama product will hit free agent. And if he does, he'll have a robust market. The Jaguars could be one of his suitors if Martindale becomes their defensive coordinator. The past four seasons, he's logged nine interceptions, and he tallied three of them last year. Moreover, he's a sure tackler, missing just 7.8 percent of his attempts throughout his career.

When you consider that the Jacksonville defense missed tackles at a concerning rate in the second half of the season, they would surely welcome McKinney's reliablity. Also, he's given up just 7.0 yards per target in coverage. The only roadblock to potentially signing the veteran safety is that the Jags are stacked at the position.

Then again, Rayshawn Jenkins is entering the last year of the contract he signed in 2021, and the team's brass could free up $5.1 million in cap space with $7.8 million in dead money. Given that Jenkins has been somewhat uneven the last four years, replacing him with McKinney isn't that far-fetched.