Kafka, Martindale Focused on Year 2 with Giants After Drawing Head Coaching Interest

Wink Martindale and Mike Kafka drew interest from multiple teams for head coaching gigs, but they’re glad to be back for a second year with the Giants.

Author:
Andrew Parsaud
Publish date:
Jun 9, 2023 8:00 AM EDT

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New York Giants

It's a classic Catch-22 for a football team.

When you're good, the rest of the league takes notice, so much so that interest develops in the coaching staff. But your staff can fly under the radar if you're not good.

For the New York Giants, they were surprisingly good last year, and as such, their two offensive and defensive coordinator, Mike Kafka and Wink Martindale, drew head coaching consideration.

Unfortunately for them--but luckily for the Giants--those job opportunities never crystallized. So both men are back for Year 2 in this Giants program and are looking forward to taking the offense and defense to the next level.

Martindale, who has been coaching since 1994, with experience in both college and professional teams, drew interest from the Colts, the position eventually going to former Eagles offensive coordinator Shane Steichen. But Martindale, who interviewed for the Giants head coaching opening a few years back before eventually losing out to Joe Judge, said he was thankful for the chance to experience the process again.

"I think anytime you have a chance to talk to a different organization, especially the owners, it's eye-opening, and you can learn things from it," he said. "How they see the game, where they see their organization going, so that part was fulfilling for me."

Martindale reiterated that his time with the Giants isn't merely a stepping stone before he gets to a head coaching role.

"This is a destination. And I believe that, or I wouldn't say it," he said. “I just love the fans here. I love this organization, the Mara and Tisch family, (head coach Brian Daboll), (general manager) Joe (Schoen), the leadership of it, and the culture that we're building.”

One aspect that certainly drew Martindale back was his players. The defense has rallied around him and, most importantly, respects how their 60-year-old coordinator runs his system. Players like safety Xavier McKinney, defensive linemen Dexter Lawrence and Leonard Williams, and new linebacker Bobby Okereke have all raved about Martindale’s presence.

“They were all happy, I hope," Martindale said when asked what his players thought about his return. "Maybe some of the guys that aren’t here… But they were happy that we’re going to keep things the same way, and I am, too. It’s fun to build something from the ground up and see it all the way through, and that’s what we have the opportunity to do.”

While Martindale hopes to get a chance at being an NFL head coach, if that opportunity doesn't come, he's fine with that.

“I don't have a problem sleeping every night. I'm at peace," he said. "It sounds a little dramatic, being at peace, but I'm excited to be the defensive coordinator of the New York Giants, and the day that I'm not is the day that they say, ‘Hey, you hear Wink retired?’

"Every day I get up, I can't wait to get to the building to be around these guys. It's always better when the players are here because we find too much stuff to do when the players aren't here.”

Kafka, who drew interest for the Colts, Panthers, and Cardinals openings--he was reportedly a finalist for Arizona's vacancy before they hired former Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon--is still relatively new to the coaching scene.

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He was with the Chiefs from 2017-2021, serving as an offensive quality control coach, quarterbacks coach, and passing game coordinator. Working under Andy Reid and helping draw up passing concepts for the Chiefs dynamic offense, plus his work with quarterback Patrick Mahomes certainly caught the Giants’ eye.

Although Kafka didn't land a head coaching job, if the offense continues to soar this coming season, his name will almost certainly be a hot commodity again.

Unlike Martindale, Kafka is much more reserved with his thoughts about what might have been.

“Don't think about it all that much outside of the experience. Being fortunate enough to be a part of those discussions, those conversations was cool," he said. "I learned a lot about myself. Learned a lot about the league and the multiple organizations. It was a good experience overall.”

Four head coaching interviews after one season as an offensive coordinator says something about Kafka’s future in the league. The Giants certainly didn’t have a top offense, but what Kafka did with what he had should be commended.

Kafka’s coming back to a revamped Giants offense that added many pieces to help them take the next step. Darren Waller, Jalin Hyatt, and Parris Campbell are among the new skill position additions. Darius Slayton and Isaiah Hodgins are also coming back. Daniel Jones received his extension. There’s a lot of excitement around the Giants offense, and Kafka will be the one to help them get to the next level.