Giants Country

Titans Request Permission to Interview Giants OC Mike Kafka

In a surprising move considering how the Giants offense struggled in 2023, Kafka has drawn some interest for a head coaching vacancy.

Patricia Traina

Titans Request Permission to Interview Giants OC Mike Kafka
Titans Request Permission to Interview Giants OC Mike Kafka /
In this story:

After firing head coach Mike Vrabel on Tuesday after consecutive losing seasons, the Tennessee Titans have requested permission to interview New York Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka, per the NFL Network.

The 36-year-old Kafka was in high demand last off-season after the Giants finished 9-7-1 and had a playoff berth in which they won the wild card. Kafka's Giants offense finished 18th overall (333.9 yards/game), fourth in rushing (148.2 yards/game), 26th in passing (185.7 yards/game), and 16th in scoring (21.5 points/game).

As a result of that production, Kafka drew interest from the Panthers, Colts, and Cardinals for their head coaching vacancies, the Cardinals interviewing him multiple times before finally going with Jonathan Gannon, who had been with the Eagles as their defensive coordinator.   

Kafka and the Giants' offense had a much different outcome this past season. Besieged by injuries to quarterback Daniel Jones, left tackle Andrew Thomas, tight end Darren Waller, and running back Saquon Barkley, the Giant's offense struggled to find its footing. 

New York finished 29th in overall offense (280 yards/game), 16th in rushing (110.2 yards/game), 31st in passing (169.8 yards/game) and 30th in scoring (15.6 points/game).

The offense's struggles were so bad that it was widely believed head coach Brian Daboll became much more involved in the playcalling during part of the season, something both he and Kafka denied.

Kafka came to the Giants from the Kansas City Chiefs, where he worked under head coach Andy Reid, for whom he played quarterback when both crossed paths with the Eagles. 

Kafka joined Reid's Chiefs staff in 2017 as an offensive quality control coach before being promoted the next year to quarterbacks coach, a role he held exclusively for 2018-2019 before adding passing game coordinator duties to his job description in 2020 and 2021.

If Kafka should leave the Giants, that would mean Giants head coach Brian Daboll will have to replace all three of the team's coordinators. Daboll fired special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey on Monday, and on Wednesday, the team and defensive coordinator Wink Martindale agreed to part ways.

Published
Patricia Traina
PATRICIA TRAINA

Patricia Traina has covered the New York Giants for 30+ seasons, and her work has appeared in multiple media outlets, including The Athletic, Forbes, Bleacher Report, and the Sports Illustrated media group. As a credentialed New York Giants press corps member, Patricia has also covered five Super Bowls (three featuring the Giants), the annual NFL draft, and the NFL Scouting Combine. She is the author of The Big 50: The Men and Moments that Made the New York Giants. In addition to her work with New York Giants On SI, Patricia hosts the Locked On Giants podcast. Patricia is also a member of the Pro Football Writers of America and the Football Writers Association of America.

Home/News