The New York Giants have boiled down to three offensive coordinator finalists, Mike Kafka of the Kansas City Chiefs, Pep Hamilton, formerly of the Houston Texans, and Chad O’Shea of the Cleveland Browns.
The Giants are preparing to interview Kafka for the vacant offensive coordinator position on Wednesday. According to Adam Caplan, he will have his first in-person interview with Brian Daboll and management.
#Chiefs QBs coach/passing game coordinator Mike Kafka’s in person interview for the #NYG OC opening is scheduled for sometime today, source said.
— Adam Caplan (@caplannfl) February 2, 2022
Kafka would be a huge grab for Big Blue, having played an integral part in developing Patrick Mahomes into the elite quarterback he is today.
Having once been a journeyman quarterback in the NFL, the 34-year-old is ready to make the jump to OC after proving his worth in Kansas City.
Mahomes recently promoted Kafka for his increased pocket presence and helping him refine several abilities:
“First off I’ve gotten more familiar with the offensive line in general. Just being able to play behind those guys, go to battle with them, getting a good feel for them definitely helps out a ton. I think I’ve just continued to work on the fundamentals. Coach (Mike) Kafka has really kind of engrained that in me as the season’s gone on and I think I’ve gotten better as of late because of that,” Mahomes said. “Trying to figure out that right balance of when to scramble and run and do that stuff and when to stay in the pocket and make the throw is something I’ll always work on. Definitely think I’ve gotten better as these weeks have gone on.”
The Giants would have an elite pairing:
Pairing Kafka with Daboll, who helped develop Josh Allen, would provide quarterback Daniel Jones with two of the league’s best offensive minds. Understanding how to grow a quarterback is extremely valuable, and having two coaches with essential experience would promote a healthy situation for Jones or whatever quarterback the Giants plan to roll with in the future.
Big Blue has an interesting situation developing with Jones. They have to decide on his fifth-year option by May. If they elect to decline it, they would virtually be using the 2022 season as a prove-it year, giving them the opportunity to slap him with a franchise tag or extend him on a legitimate contract.