DeMarcus

Covington

The Raiders pounced on their top choice at head coach immediately following the Super Bowl with the hiring of former Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak but they have yet to fill any of their coordinator positions. Covington has drawn multiple interviews for defensive coordinator vacancies this hiring cycle but did not land his first play-calling gig, with the Raiders now an additional opportunity to do just that.

It was part of an announcement of eight names that the Jets had preliminary interviews with, those other names are: Browns safeties coach Ephraim Banda, Packers defensive run game coordinator DeMarcus Covington, Vikings defensive passing game coordinator and cornerbacks coach Daronte Jones, Broncos assistant head coach and defensive passing game coordinator Jim Leonhard, internal Jets DB coach and defensive pass game coordinator Chris Harris, and Lions safeties coach Jim O’Neil. (Mathieu Araujo, the Dolphins cornerbacks coach, was also revealed earlier today.) Martindale hasn’t had any outside interest since last offseason, when he interviewed for the Falcons and Colts defensive coordinator roles.

Covington joined the Packers as defensive line coach prior to the 2025 season. The Packers were middle-of-the-pack in both sacks and rushing yards allowed and boasted a defensive line of Micah Parsons, Rashan Gary, and more. Green Bay was able to generate pressure under Covington, though Parsons’ late-season ACL tear stymied the pass rush. The Cowboys parted ways with Matt Eberflus after the season and are interviewing candidates for the defensive coordinator role. Covington is next up on the interview list.

Covington spent last season as the Patriots’ defensive coordinator but first joined their staff in 2017 as a coaching assistant. He was promoted to their DL coach in 2020 and served in that role until 2023. It was reported earlier that Covington, who interviewed earlier this month for the Bengals’ defensive coordinator vacancy, was not expected to return to the Patriots after they went out and hired Mike Vrabel as head coach. Now, he’ll have a chance to start over in Green Bay. In addition to Covington, the Packers also hired former quarterback Sean Mannion as their quarterbacks coach.

Covington, who turns 36 in March, was one of the league’s youngest defensive coordinators last year for the Patriots. He has permission to interview for the job despite still being under contract in New England. The unit struggled, but dealt with major multiple injuries and Covington oversaw Christian Gonzalez’s development into one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL. It is possible that he has more upside to offer when separated from Jerod Mayo, and the Bengals seem interested in exploring the idea of making him their main defensive mind after firing Lou Anarumo.

Although he has been with the Patriots since 2017, Covington is only 34 years old. Along with defensive-minded new head coach Jerod Mayo, Covington will set about the monumental task of replacing the greatest defensive mind of the 21st century, Bill Belichick. The Pats have decent defensive personnel, but it had remained Belichick who stirred the drink.

No official move has been announced but the Patriots are expected to promote from within for their vacant defensive coordinator position, giving DeMarcus Covington his first crack at coordinator duties. Fowler adds “other candidates have been informed that Covington is the guy.”

As Jones points out, Covington has been on the Patriots’ staff since 2017, working closely with new head coach Jerod Mayo for the last seven seasons. Covington has been involved in coaching since 2012, working his way up through the college ranks for five seasons before being hired by the Patriots as a coaching assistant. His familiarity with Mayo and the organization as a whole should give him an inside edge on the job, but the Patriots will likely go through several candidates before making a decision.

Covington spent time with Cardinals GM Monti Ossenfort in New England and has served as the Patriots’ defensive line coach since 2020. Covington first joined the Patriots in 2017, serving as a coaching assistant, and has also worked as the outside linebackers coach. He’s one of several candidates for the defensive coordinator role who will pass through the Cardinals’ office in the coming weeks, as head coach Jonathan Gannon looks to assemble his first staff.