Mike Kafka is turning into a popular name on the head coaching circuit. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that the Texans have requested permission to interview the Giants offensive coordinator for their head coaching vacancy.
[RELATED: Texans Request Five HC Interviews]
As our 2023 NFL Head Coaching Search Tracker shows, Kafka joins an initial five-man list that includes Broncos defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero, Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon, Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, 49ers defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans, and Eagles offensive coordinator Shane Steichen.
Kafka, a 2010 fourth-round pick out of Northwestern, stuck around the NFL for six years before turning to coaching. He got his first NFL gig with the Chiefs in 2017, and he quickly became Kansas City’s QBs coach and, later, their passing-game coordinator. Kafka’s stint as QBs coach coincided with Patrick Mahomes‘ ascension, so it wasn’t a huge surprise when Brian Daboll hired him as the Giants new offensive coordinator.
Kafka was entrusted with the role of offensive play-caller in New York, a surprising development considering Daboll’s offensive success in Buffalo. The Giants were middle-of-the-road in offense this past season,but Kafka was still credited with helping the offense climb out of the cellar. The team also saw strong efforts from Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley, sparking optimism about Kafka’s ability to function with different personnel.
Thanks to the Giants’ surprising performance in 2022, Kafka has started to generate some interest as a head coach. He was previously connected to the Panthers head coaching gig, and now he’ll get a look as Lovie Smith‘s replacement in Houston.
Ben Johnson
Shane Streichen
Shane Waldron
Mike Kafka
Beware of the hot young assistant coaches. Weren’t two of them named Joe Judge and Matt Patrisha?
Not sure about Patrisha but I wouldn’t have referred to Matt Patricia as the young trendy assistant when he was hired.
They need an old school ass kicker coach who will go in and set the standards.
I don’t know. I don’t think that the players are the problem in Houston, at least not from an attitude perspective. The issue seems to be that management doesn’t want to compete.
Either Caserio is very picky about his coaches, and is essentially using one year deals as tryouts, or he’s gathering draft capitol until he is ready to actually invest (a process that destroys team culture that Caserio likely underestimates the difficulty to rebuilding).
Yeah, the Texans always want to fish in the cheap end of the coaching pool. I have never once seen them show interest in any of the big name coaches. Not that any of them want to jump into a dumpster fire anyway.