The Detroit Lions could have another future NFL head coach on their staff this season — Mike Kafka. The league, at least, appears to see that as a possibility.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported Saturday that Kafka is one of 16 coaches who received an invite to the NFL’s accelerator program.
The program is intended to increase diversity in leadership roles throughout the NFL. This year, Fowler wrote the program shifted its focus “from high-potential candidates to senior-level executives and coaches more aligned with head coach and general manager readiness.”
As a result, Kafka will be one of 16 coaches and 18 executives at the event on Monday and Tuesday in Orlando, Florida.
The Lions hired Kafka as their passing game coordinator this offseason. From 2023-25, he served in a variety of high-ranking offensive roles with the New York Giants.
After the Giants fired head coach Brian Daboll in the middle of last season, Kafka became the team’s interim head coach. Under Kafka, the Giants posted a 2-5 record.
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