Kansas City Chiefs QB coach Mike Kafka had been mentioned as a potential target for Philadelphia Eagles’ head-coaching job, but now he’s being targeted by a different team and for a different role.
The Seattle Seahawks parted ways with offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer following the conclusion of their postseason run, citing philosophical differences. Now according to a new report from ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Seahawks are casting a wide net. That wide net includes Kafka among other candidates, such as former New York Jets head coach Adam Gase and former Philadelphia Eagles head coach Doug Pederson.
Seattle, however, hasn’t yet officially requested an interview with Kafka to our knowledge.
#Seahawks have spoken to former #Jets head coach Adam Gase about the offensive coordinator opening, per source, and they intend to speak to #Chiefs QBs coach Mike Kafka at some point. Seattle casting wide net to get some new ideas for Russell Wilson and co.
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) January 18, 2021
The NFL’s anti-tampering policy is still in place while the playoffs rage on. With Kansas City still in contention, if the Seahawks were to request an interview with Kafka, it’d need to be approved by Chiefs ownership. A similar situation just played out between the Houston Texans and Chiefs OC Eric Bieniemy. Given that Kansas City may need to prepare backup QB Chad Henne to start in place of QB Patrick Mahomes in the AFC title game, don’t expect any request to be approved this week.
That said, there’s perhaps no better interview material for Kafka than the final 20 offensive snaps for the Chiefs against the Browns on Sunday. Henne came into the game and executed the offense almost flawlessly. It shows that Kafka does a good job of getting his room prepared to play and it shows that he isn’t just a product of Mahomes’ success. Expect Kafka to see an uptick in interest in the coming weeks as coaching staffs around the league are assembled.
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