Saints Head Coach Candidate Profile: Who Is Mike Kafka Anyways?

On the surface, the Saints really feel like a bit of a mess. They're about to go into the Senior Bowl week focusing more on trying to find their next head coach. Sure, interviews are lining up after the crazy South Louisiana snowstorm has passed. However, New Orleans feels like they're behind the eight ball.
Things can certainly come together quickly for the Saints, but it doesn't feel like it right now. However, what we can say is there are interviews scheduled and they have good candidates still available to hire. However, they absolutely missed out on Aaron Glenn and that's really not shocking.
We continue to look at the some of the coaching candidates for the Saints, starting with the lesser-known and then working our way up. After previously looking at Anthony Weaver, we dive into Mike Kafka.
Mike Kafka Profile
Mike Kafka is another former player who was originally drafted by the Eagles in 2010, being the 122nd overall pick in the 4th Round. Philly went 10-6 and 8-8 in his first two seasons, with Kafka just appearing in four games in the 2011 season.
Kafka would suffer a fracture in his non-throwing hand in the 2012 preseason that opened the door for Nick Foles to be the backup. He'd bounce around six different teams from 2013-2015, with his last stop being in Cincinnati on their practice squad late in the season.
Kafka got his start in coaching with Northwestern in 2016 as a graduate assistant, but then paired up with Andy Reid and the Chiefs the following season to be an offensive quality control coach. He played under Reid and was drafted by him, and Reid has glowing things to say about him to this day.
From 2018-2019, Kafka became Kansas City's quarterback coach, and the following two seasons (2020-2021) the Chiefs added passing game coordinator to his responsibilities. He has a Super Bowl ring from the 2019 season. Naturally, during a four-year span with the Chiefs, he had Patrick Mahomes. That says enough.
Mahomes said this on Kafka during Super Bowl LVII Media Day, "Coach Kafka is a special person and a special coach. He kind of took me [under his wing], when he first got here he was quality control and that was my first year as a rookie. I spent a lot of hours with coach Kafka where he was teaching me the playbook and teaching me how to become a quarterback in the NFL. That continued for a long time."
Kafka left the Chiefs in the offseason to be the Giants offensive coordinator for Brian Daboll in 2022. He did that for two seasons and was then named an assistant head coach in 2024 in addition to his offensive coordinator duties.
Kafka was the Giants play-caller in the 2022 season and the Giants ended up getting their first postseason win since 2011. After that, Kafka had interviews with the Panthers, Texans, Colts and Cardinals for their open head coach spots. He got second interview opportunities with Houston and Arizona in that coaching cycle.
In Jan. 2024, Kafka was on the radar again for a head coaching spot, having a virtual interview with the Titans and then interviewing with the Seahawks. He eventually got blocked from interviewing for their offensive coordinator spot by the Giants too.
Kafka was the head coach for the West team for the East-West Shrine Bowl in February. The West won 26-11, powered by Frank Gore Jr. 57 players from that game were drafted, which was an all-time high. The Giants gave Kafka an additional title of being an assistant head coach for 2024. Unfortunately, he lost play-calling duties for the season.
What We Had to Say On Mike Kafka
When Ross Jackson (Locked On Network, Louisiana Sports) and I ranked prospective coaches for the Saints, Mike Kafka was one of our bottom guys (16:58). With all due respect, we might be going off recency bias.
The concern with Kafka was whether or not Kansas City was more of a byproduct of Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes, and the fact that he wasn't the Giants play-caller last season was concerning. However, he has glowing endorsements from Reid, which does say a lot.
With Kafka calling plays in 2022 and 2023, here's where the Giants finished in some key offensive categories:
- 2022: Yards/Game (18th), Rush Yards/Game (4th), Passing Yards/Game (26th), First Downs/Game (T-7th), 3rd Down (22nd), Red Zone (7th), Goal to Go (6th), Time of Possession (11th), Points/Game (4th)
- 2023: Yards/Game (29th), Rush Yards/Game (16th), Passing Yards/Game (31st), First Downs/Game (30th), 3rd Down (30th), Red Zone (31st), Goal to Go (T-24th), Time of Possession (21st), Points/Game (30th)
Did you know Kafka is younger than Ben Johnson? That's not saying he can't lead a team, but more of an observation. That's the biggest question I have with Kafka. Is he a leader or men or just someone who can come in and run an offense, similar to a Dennis Allen retread but on the opposite side of the ball. The Saints need a leader in the building, not someone who will focus on just one side of the ball.
ICYMI: Who Is Anthony Weaver Anyways?
For starters, Weaver is a former player. His time with the Ravens and Texans saw him play for Brian Billick and Gary Kubiak. He has coached in the NFL since 2012, working under Rex Ryan and the Jets to start as an assistant defensive line coach. He also played under Ryan when he was with the Ravens. Now, Ryan is of the John Harbaugh tree.
One season later, Weaver joined Doug Marrone as the Bills defensive line coach, and then moved to the Browns for two seasons to be their line coach from 2014-2015 to work under Mike Pettine.
Weaver then got a shot to do the same gig with the Texans from 2016-2019 under Bill O'Brien, and then became the team's defensive coordinator in addition to the line coach in 2020. O'Brien got fired and Romeo Crennel took over as the interim head coach.
The following season, Weaver was hired by the Ravens to be their defensive line coach and run game coordinator under John Harbaugh. In Feb. 2022, he was promoted to assistant head coach and served at that position through the 2023 season.
Harbaugh called Weaver 'an absolute star' and praised him for his ability to light up a room and fill it up. He also talked about his high understanding of defense and leadership abilities, being able to manage player and work with people.
Weaver had successful interviews with the Falcons and Commanders in the 2024 offseason, but was ultimately promoted after being hired by the Dolphins as their defensive coordinator.