Certainly one of these mornings, Mike Kafka would possibly get up and discover himself an NFL head coach.
The Giants’ 37-year-old offensive coordinator first spoke with Saints’ brass final week and is now being flown right down to The Massive Simple for a second interview on Tuesday, NFL.com reported.
As New Orleans whittles down its record of candidates for the nineteenth head coach in franchise historical past, Kafka and Miami Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver — scheduled for a second-round interview Wednesday, additionally per NFL.com — have emerged as main contenders.
Kafka, a member of the Giants’ teaching employees since Brian Daboll took over in 2022, isn’t any stranger to this course of — he’s been a finalist for 3 jobs within the earlier two cycles.
The previous journeyman quarterback noticed his teaching inventory soar after his first 12 months main the Giants’ offense in 2022.
Only one 12 months after ending 4-13, Daniel Jones and firm collected 9 wins — the Giants’ most since 2016 — made the playoffs as a wild-card group after which beat the Minnesota Vikings, 31-24, within the opening spherical.
Jones, then in his fourth season, threw 15 touchdowns to only 5 interceptions and gave the impression to be turning a nook. His efforts had been indubitably bolstered by Saquon Barkley’s work within the backfield, because the then-25-year-old amassed 1,312 yards and ten touchdowns within the common season.
However as Giants followers know all too effectively, the metamorphosis into 2023 and past was not a reasonably one.
The Giants’ offense tumbled noticeably the next season, rating thirtieth in scoring and twenty ninth in whole yards — a drop-off of 14 and 11 spots, respectively, from the marks set a 12 months prior.
This previous season was even worse because the Giants completed thirty first in scoring and thirtieth in whole yards.
Regardless of the steadily declining offensive manufacturing, Kafka stays of curiosity to various groups with younger quarterbacks underneath improvement.
In New Orleans, the place the Derek Carr experiment has gone from unhealthy to worse, it appears as if Spencer Rattler, 24, will discover himself underneath heart sooner quite than later.
The soon-to-be sophomore wouldn’t be Kafka’s first pet mission.
Previous to becoming a member of the Giants’ employees, he served because the quarterbacks coach in Kansas Metropolis from 2018 to 2021 — overlapping with Patrick Mahomes’ first 4 seasons because the Chiefs’ beginning sign caller.
And after Kansas Metropolis received Tremendous Bowl LIV in 2020, Kafka had the title of passing recreation coordinator added to his resume.
Over the next two seasons, the Chiefs went on to win 4 extra playoff video games and Mahomes earned his third and fourth consecutive Professional Bowl honors.
Kafka was given the extra title of assistant head coach for the Giants in February 2024.