The New York Giants have already lost two coordinators this offseason — Wink Martindale and Thomas McGaughey — and they could soon lose a third.
ESPN’s Jordan Raanan recently reported that offensive coordinator Mike Kafka is unhappy with head coach Brian Daboll’s repeated outburst and suffocating approach, and could seek an exit from East Rutherford.
“Mike Kafka, the more I hear, the less likely it is — and I know he’s still there now — even if he doesn’t get a head coaching job, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Giants let him out and he ends up somewhere else anyway,” Raanan said on the Breaking Big Blue podcast. “He’s unhappy.
“I had heard on multiple occasions that Kafka’s deal was that Brian Daboll was super suffocating. He was overly involved in the offense if that was possible — even though it’s his offense. But really, just in a way, undercutting, completely undercutting Kafka, who is the offense coordinator.”
If Kafka intends to leave the Giants, they aren’t going to make it easy.
Paul Schwartz of the New York Post, who often speaks on behalf of the team, reports that the Giants do not intend to move on from Kafka this offseason.
The Giants have no intention of moving on from Kafka. If he gets a head coaching gig, of course he will depart. It will be interesting to see what happens if there is outside interest in hiring Kafka as an offensive coordinator and if Kafka is piqued by that interest. There were times this past season when Daboll got more involved in the offense and the play-calling, and Daboll did not state unequivocally that Kafka will continue to call the plays in 2024.
“Those are conversations we’ll have here over the next few months, what direction we’ll go and we’ll make those decisions as we do a full evaluation,’’ Daboll said after the Giants wrapped up their 6-11 season.
Although it was an obvious untruth, it’s important to remember that Daboll also initially said the team had no intention of parting ways with Martindale.
The intent to move on from Martindale was always there but Daboll needed the public narrative to differ. That could be the same case with Kafka, who is purportedly unhappy with how things have played out in East Rutherford.
So far this offseason, Kafka has interviewed with the Tennessee Titans and Seattle Seahawks for their vacant head coaching positions but does not appear in line to get either job. In the interim, he will serve as head coach of the West team in the 2024 Shrine Bowl.
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