Getty Former Eagles QB Mike Kafka.
Brian Daboll and the New York Giants were tossed a curveball when Ken Dorsey opted to take a promotion in Buffalo to serve as the Bills’ new offensive coordinator. A long-time quarterback coach in both Orchard Park and Carolina, Dorsey was believed to be Daboll’s top choice to join him in East Rutherford. However, after being forced back to the drawing board, the Giants have reemerged two days after with their new man for the gig.
On February 3, NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo and Ian Rapoport reported that the Giants are expected to hire Chiefs QB coach/pass-game coordinator Mike Kafka as their new offensive coordinator. The deal is not yet finalized but is not expected to hit any roadblocks.
What the Giants are Getting in Their New OC
Kafka has served as Patrick Mahomes’ position coach for each of the quarterback’s four seasons as a starter in Kansas City. Over that span, Mahomes earned four Pro Bowl nods to go along with one first-team All-Pro selection, one league MVP and one Super Bowl MVP. From 2018-2021, the Chiefs offense never finished worse than No. 4 overall in passing offense and has ranked within the top-two in passing yards per game in each of the past two seasons. Contrastingly, the Giants have finished within the bottom-four of passing offenses in back-to-back seasons, including ranking second-to-last in 2021 with an average of just 188.0 yards per game through the air.
The 34-year-old coach also boasts a professional resume as a quarterback himself. Kafka spent six years in the NFL as a backup signal-caller and was a fourth-round selection of the Giants’ NFC East Rivals, the Philadelphia Eagles, back in 2010. A standout at Northwestern, Kafka finished his collegiate career as the Wildcats’ eighth all-time leader in passing with 4,265 yards. His lone-in game experience in the pros came in 2011, when he appeared in four contests with the Eagles, completing 11-of-16 passes for 107 yards.
Joe Schoen Would Prefer if Daboll Didn’t Call Plays in New York
The question now becomes will Kafka be handed the play-calling reigns in New York? In many ways, the reason why Daboll is currently in the position he is today is because of his offensive mind. However, with broader duties now placed upon his plate, Giants GM Joe Schoen would prefer Daboll manage things from a wider approach.
“Ideally, the offensive coordinator calls the plays but I’m not going to say that’s set in stone because we’re going to let Brian make that decision,” Schoen told reporters on January 31, via the New York Post. “I’m not going to rule that out if he is or isn’t right now… If for some reason he had to … Ideally, he doesn’t. I would prefer he manages the game. But we’re going to wait and see how that plays out.”
Daboll went on to mostly echo Schoen’s take, assuring he’s far from bullish when it comes to micromanaging the offense.
“We’ll find the right guy, and we’ll work together. If he can call plays and we feel comfortable with that, I’m fine with that,” Daboll said. “We have to make sure we are doing everything we can to make sure we help our offense. I have to help our team the best I can.”
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