Tag: mike kafka

See it: Giants’ Mike Kafka shows different side at Senior Bowl

Mike Kafka, who plays a subdued role as OC with the New York Giants, was clearly in charge as a head coach at this year’s Senior Bowl.

New York Giants assistant coach and offensive coordinator Mike Kafka served as the head coach of the National Team at this year’s Reese’s Senior Bowl.

Kafka, who has taken a backseat to head coach Brian Dabol with the Giants, showed a different side of his style as a head coach down in Mobile this week.

Kakfa is one of the most celebrated, yet underused, coordinators in the NFL. Last year, he had the offensive play-calling responsibilities stripped away by Daboll, which did not yield any better results.

Daboll still holds Kafka in high regard as does general manager Joe Schoen, who told reporters he was “hoping” that Kafka wasn’t hired away as their head coach this offseason.

“There’s a reason these teams continue to interview him for head coaching jobs,” Schoen said during his media session at the Reese’s Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama on Tuesday. “He’s got a great reputation not only in our building but around the league.”

Kafka is currently in the mix to become the head coach of the New Orleans Saints. They will make their decision after interviewing Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore after the Super Bowl.

It’s nothing new for Kafka, who over the past three winters has interviewed with the Seattle Seahawks, Carolina Panthers, Indianapolis Colts, Houston Texans, Arizona Cardinals, and Tennessee Titans for head coaching positions.

The Giants stand to benefit from Kafka’s experiences, especially with college players. The team feels it could give them a leg up in recruiting.

“Mike deserves the opportunity he has as one of the head coaches in this year’s Senior Bowl. His experience as a player and coach is invaluable to these young men who will soon be professional players. He is an exceptional coach and will serve as a resource for everyone involved throughout the week,” Daboll said in a statement.

In recent days, it has been reported that the Giants could be considering re-assigning the play-calling duties back to Kafka should he return.

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This Saints head coach candidate had a 9-hour long interview for the spot

One of the Saints’ interviews with a head coaching candidate ran a whopping nine hours. Mike Kafka clearly wants the job:

The New Orleans Saints are no stranger to long head coaching interviews, as during the last coaching search they interviewed Eric Bieniemy for eight hours. However, they seem to have one-upped themselves this offseason, as their interview with New York Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka lasted nine hours. This wasn’t a cursory meeting to satisfy the Rooney Rule like the New England Patriots got away with. Kafka is a real candidate for the job.

NFL head coach interviews are not some small thing and typically last a substantial chunk of time, which makes sense. Nine hours is hard to fathom though, that’s longer than an entire standard work shift of just exclusively interviewing for a position. While to this point it has signified clear interest as he is still in the running as one of the four candidates, who knows if it ends up meaning he will be the head coach.

Kafka has spent the last few days working at the Senior Bowl, as the head coach of the National Team for that event. This has given him the opportunity to coach up some of the best players in the 2025 NFL draft class, and gain some insight on who he may be interested in drafting if he were to be the head coach.

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‘Strong sentiment’ that Giants will return play-calling duties to Mike Kafka

If he doesn’t land the Saints job, there is a “strong sentiment” that the New York Giants will return play-calling duties to Mike Kafka.

New York Giants assistant head coach and offensive coordinator Mike Kafka is a finalist for the New Orleans Saints job but if he doesn’t get it, he can expect additional responsibility in East Rutherford next season.

Should Kafka return to the Giants in 2025, there is a “strong sentiment” in the building that head coach Brian Daboll will return play-calling duties to him, reports Paul Schwartz of the New York Post.

There is strong sentiment inside the Giants building for head coach Brian Daboll to give up the play-calling duties, and that sentiment has nothing to do with co-owner John Mara recently mentioning Daboll should at least consider doing that for the 2025 season.

There is a feeling that by handing that responsibility back to offensive coordinator Mike Kafka, Daboll would be in a better position to manage the entire team — sitting in on defensive meetings and expanding his focus to make sure small details do not fall through the cracks.

Daboll had stripped Kafka of play-calling duties multiple times throughout the 2023 season and then outright in 2024. The former Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator assumed that role but the Giants’ offense regressed.

With Kafka as the full-time play-caller in 2022, the Giants’ offense ranked 15th in points and 18th in yards. In 2023, those rankings dipped to 30th in points and 29th in yards.

Under Daboll as the full-time play-caller in 2024, the Giants offense ranked 31st in points and 30th in yards.

If Kafka does get hired in New Orleans, the Giants will have to pivot but general manager Joe Schoen admits he “selfishly hopes” that does not happen.

“Very detailed, organized, smart coach, good leadership abilities,” Schoen said on Tuesday. “So, selfishly, I hope he doesn’t get the New Orleans job, but if he does, he’s well-deserving. (He’s) a good coach, has a lot of ideas, smart, good leadership. We’re fortunate to have him on our staff.”

The Saints could make their decision as early as Wednesday.

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Giants’ Joe Schoen ‘selfishly hopes’ to retain Mike Kafka

New York Giants GM Joe Schoen says he “selfishly hopes” Mike Kafka doesn’t get a head coaching job and remains in East Rutherford.

On Tuesday, New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen said he hopes that assisted head coach and offensive coordinator Mike Kafka doesn’t get hired away by another NFL team this offseason.

Kafka is one of six candidates being considered for the New Orleans Saints head coaching vacancy.

It has become a yearly ritual for Kafka, who has interviewed with the Seattle Seahawks, Carolina Panthers, Indianapolis Colts, Houston Texans, Arizona Cardinals, and Tennessee Titans in the past two offseasons but with no luck.

“There’s a reason these teams continue to interview him for head coaching jobs,” Schoen said during his media session at the Reese’s Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama on Tuesday. “He’s got a great reputation not only in our building but around the league.

“A former player who played quarterback, came up under Andy Reid, called plays in a playoff season in his first year as an offensive coordinator, very detailed, organized, smart coach, good leadership abilities. So, selfishly, I hope he doesn’t get the New Orleans job, but if he does, he’s well-deserving. (He’s) a good coach, has a lot of ideas, smart, good leadership. We’re fortunate to have him on our staff.”

Kafka was elevated to assistant head coach by Brian Daboll last season but was stripped of the offensive play-calling duties. The Giants’ offense was a disaster and co-owner John Mara has mildly suggested that perhaps Daboll should relinquish the responsibility this season.

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Saints HC candidate reflects on interview experience

New York Giants OC Mike Kafka reflected on his experience meeting with the New Orleans Saints and interviewing for the head coach job:

The New Orleans Saints are the last team with a head coach opening in the NFL, so now they can really sit back and be patient before making their decision.

They have continued to interview and meet with coaches for the last few weeks and it seems to be down to a few top candidates. One person still in the mix is current New York Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka.

Kafka is currently coaching at the Senior Bowl, with the rest of the NFL world watching, and got a chance to speak with the media about his thoughts on his interviews with the Saints.

“It was a great experience. Really, really great organization. Mickey and his staff, getting to know those guys and spend a lot of quality time with them over the last few days,” Kafka said to Sean Fazende of Fox8. “It was, again,  a really good experience and I’m thankful that I had to go through that.”

The 37-year-old coach has been with the Giants since 2022. Before that, he spent the first five years of his NFL coaching career with the Kansas City Chiefs under Andy Reid.

His time with New York has given him some experience in managing a roster that might not be filled to the brim with talent. It isn’t too dissimilar to the situation in New Orleans.

Kafka has done a deep dive on the Saints roster and seems like he would jump on the opportunity to become the next head coach.

“You certainly spend a lot of time studying. Their roster, the staff, study their history and the ownership group. There’s a lot of things to like about their organization. If that opportunity presents itself, I think you’ll be lucky to get that job,” Kakfa expanded in a clip shared by NewOrleans.Football’s Mike Triplett.

He sure sounds like he has serious interest in the job. Let’s see if the Saints share that enthusiasm as their head coach search goes down to the home stretch.

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This Saints coach candidate has big name in mind for his defensive coordinator

This New Orleans Saints coach candidate has a big name in mind for his defensive coordinator. Mike Kafka reportedly wants to bring Wink Martindale with him:

Now this is interesting. New York Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka is a candidate for the New Orleans Saints head coaching job, and he’s begun putting feelers out for his potential staff. ESPN’s Giants beat writer Jordan Raanan shares that former Giants defensive coordinator Wink Martindale is widely expected to join Kafka in New Orleans with the same role in mind, should he get the job.

Martindale spent the last year on the Michigan Wolverines coaching up top-10 draft prospects like defensive tackle Mason Graham and cornerback Will Johnson. He’s got a lot of experience calling plays for the Denver Broncos and Baltimore Ravens prior to his turn with the Giants, where a public fallout with head coach Brian Daboll led to his departure.

At a time when the Saints may be seen as a sinking ship, it’s refreshing that Kafka at least appears to genuinely want the job. He’s expressed that eagerness to Senior Bowl executive director Jim Nagy (he’ll be coaching the National Team this week).

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Report: Mike Kafka expected to bring in Wink Martindale if hired by Saints

If New York Giants OC Mike Kafka lands the Saints head coaching job, he is expected to bring in Wink Martindale as his defensive coordinator.

New York Giants assistant head coach and offensive coordinator Mike Kafka wrapped up his in-person interview with the New Orleans Saints on Saturday. He is considered a favorite to land their vacant head coaching job.

Kafka is “hopeful” he will get the call and has reportedly begun considering who he’d hire as his offensive and defensive coordinator.

In a strange twist, ESPN’s Jordan Raaran reports that Kafka is expected to bring in former Giants defensive coordinator Wink Martindale should he get the job.

Martindale worked side-by-side with Kafka during their two first seasons with the Giants under the regime of general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll. However, things quickly deteriorated between Martindale and Daboll, leading to an ugly and public split.

After his “resignation” in East Rutherford, Martindale spent last season as the Michigan defensive coordinator, where he earned the largest coordinator salary in the country.

Martindale interviewed with the Atlanta Falcons and Indianapolis Colts during this coaching cycle and drew some interest from the Cincinnati Bengals.

Kafka, meanwhile, was retained after Martindale’s exit and promoted in an effort to prevent a lateral move — something he was reportedly open to. And although he’s said all the right things publicly, many reports suggest he’s less than pleased privately, especially after having his play-calling duties stripped.

Given that Martindale would be Kafka’s primary choice as defensive coordinator, one could suggest that it reflects poorly on Daboll and Kafka’s opinion of the Giants’ head coach.

Should Kafka and Martindale land in New Orleans, it won’t be long before they see the Giants and Daboll. The two are scheduled to play at the Caesars Superdome in 2025.

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Giants’ Angela Baker added to American Team staff at Senior Bowl

For the second straight year, New York Giants assistant coach Angela Baker will serve as a TE coach in a postseason college all-star game.

For the second straight year, New York Giants offensive assistant Angela Baker will serve as a tight end coach at one of the major college all-star games.

Baker will coach the tight ends for the American Team at this year’s Senior Bowl. Last year, Baker coached the tight ends for the West team in the 2024 East-West Shrine Bowl Game.

The Senior Bowl will be played next Saturday afternoon, February 1, in Mobile, Alabama.

Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka will serve as the head coach of the National Team, while Cleveland Browns assistant head coach and special teams coordinator Bubba Ventrone will be at the helm of the American Team.

Baker is not the only Giants assistant coach in the game. Running backs coach Joel Thomas will serve as the offensive coordinator for the American side. Mike Adams and James Ferentz will also be on staff.

In addition, Giants defensive coordinator Shane Bowen will be one of the head coaches in next week’s East-West Shrine Bowl Game, and inside linebacker John Egorugwu will join Bowen on the West Team staff as defensive coordinator.

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Saints complete in-person interview with another head coach candidate

The New Orleans Saints completed an in-person interview with another head coach candidate. Mike Kafka is in the mix for the job:

The New Orleans Saints have completed an in-person interview with Mike Kafka for their open head coach position, the team announced Saturday afternoon. Kafka, 37, has worked on the Kansas City Chiefs under Andy Reid and spent the last few years on the New York Giants staff as offensive coordinator, though head coach Brian Daboll has called plays in each of the last two seasons (neither of which ended with a playoff berth).

He’s an intriguing candidate for the job. Both Reid and Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes have spoken glowingly about Kafka’s value as a leader and communicator, and he has a lot of fans around the league. Getting stuck in a bad situation with the Giants may not be held against him. Sean Payton (another Reid disciple) came to the Saints after experiencing a similar dead-end run with the Giants way back in the day, too.

Something else to keep in mind? Kafka’s in-person interview, taken with the Saints’ sit-down meeting with Miami Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver, satisfies the NFL’s Rooney Rule. Teams are required to interview two minority head coach candidates in person before filling a vacancy and Kafka qualifies for it. He and his family are Puerto Rican and he’s participated in the annual NFL accelerator program designed at cultivating candidates like him and Weaver for head coach opportunities.

Could Kafka get the job? Maybe so. He’s highly regarded around the NFL and the Saints have expressed genuine interest in him so far. It’s just kind of a tough sell when the offensive coordinator leaves a team with a bad offense, even if it wasn’t his playbook or his voice on the headset on Sundays.

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Saints could expand their coaching search after missing on top target

Aaron Glenn chose the Jets, and NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport suggested it opens the door for the Saints to add more candidates to their search:

The New Orleans Saints’ preferred head coach, Aaron Glenn, chose his preferred destination, the New York Jets, and the Saints have pivoted to the rest of their list as expected.

Post-snowstorm New Orleans have interviews scheduled new dates for interviews with Mike Kafka, Mike McCarthy and Aaron Weaver. Wednesday night, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported Joe Brady and Kellen Moore will join that list. That was another step that was easy to predict.

Things get interesting when Rapoport says there could be more coaches added to the list

Kliff Kingsbury was once on the Saints’ radar. He chose to put off all head coaching interviews until the Washington Commanders are out of the playoffs, prioritizing game prep with his current team over interviewing for another job.

It’ll be interesting to see if he chooses to take interviews during the week between the conference championship and the Super Bowl, if the Commanders make it past the Philadelphia Eagles, since he won’t be preparing for a game at the end of the week.

Kingsbury is the first name that come to mind when Rapoport opens the door for more candidates to enter the mix.

Any new candidates would have to do a virtual interview first, in turn extending the process. It may feel unlikely, but that wasn’t a slip up by Rapoport. He must be hearing the Saints considering an expanded search.

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