Former Giants Interim Head Coach Mike Kafka Finds New Home

Former New York Giants interim head coach Mike Kafka, who up until this cycle had been a hot commodity as a head coaching candidate, has found himself a new home after leaving the Giants.

Kafka, who the Giants gave a courtesy interview to have the “interim” label removed from his title, has accepted a “high-ranking offensive staff role” on Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell’s staff, per an NFL Network report.

The exact nature of Kafka’s new role is not known. Still, Kafka’s landing with the Lions comes as little surprise given that he interviewed for the team’s offensive coordinator role, which eventually went to Drew Petzing, formerly the Arizona Cardinals' offensive coordinator under since-fired head coach Jonathan Gannon.

Kafka originally joined the Giants in 2022 as one of then-head coach Brian Daboll’s original staff members. Kafa, who had previously worked as the quarterbacks coach for Andy Reid and the Kansas City Chiefs, was named the Giants' offensive coordinator, a role he held for three and a half seasons before being promoted to interim head coach after Daboll was fired in Week 10.

Kafka’s time as the Giants' offensive coordinator was somewhat rocky at best. In 2022, the Giants enjoyed their best season under Daboll, finishing 18th on offense (333.9 yards per game), fourth in rushing (148.2 yards/game), and 26th in passing (185.7 yards/game).

The following year, adversity hit, with there being reports that Daboll, at times during the 2023 season, took the play-calling duties away from Kafka, either handling them himself or handing them to then-quarterbacks coach Shea Tierney.

In 2024, Daboll made a clean break by taking over play-calling duties, though he “promoted” Kafka to assistant head coach while still holding the offensive coordinator title.

However, the Giants' offense ended up being worse under Daboll, who, undoubtedly at the urging of Giants co-owner John Mara, decided to relinquish play-calling to Kafka in 2025.

When Daboll was fired following the team’s fifth straight loss in Week 10, Kafka, as interim head coach, kept the play-calling duties as he took over the ongoing development of then-rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart.

The Giants’ offense finished 17th in scoring and 13th in yards in 2025, despite having lost receiver Malik Nabers in Week 4 and running back Cam Skattebo in Week 8.

The Giants finished the 2025 season with back-to-back wins, scoring 34 points against the Raiders and Cowboys, and finished with a 4-13 record, one game better than the franchise’s historic worst 3-14 in 2024, its 100th anniversary.

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