The Kansas City Chiefs have lost their second assistant coach of the offseason this week with the news that quarterbacks coach Mike Kafka has left for a new opportunity with the New York Giants.
On Thursday, it was reported that Kafka will depart the Chiefs to be the offensive coordinator for the Giants under new head coach Brian Daboll. NFL reporter Mike Garafolo says it’s not official yet but it will be.
Kafka was one of three finalists for the job to be offensive coordinator under Daboll, who is himself a former coach for the Kansas City Chiefs (he was offensive coordinator during the Chiefs two-win season in 2012 that led to the Andy Reid-era being ushered in).
The other finalists were Pep Hamilton and Chad O’Shea but Kafka was the winner in the end.
Mike Kafka was a finalist for the New York Giants offensive coordinator job.
Kafka had been marked by figures around the league as a promising head coach-in-waiting on a very successful Chiefs staff, and this promotion is evidence of that. If not this year, Kafka would have been a red hot candidate next season for sure.
Kafka started with the Chiefs in 2017 as an quality control coach on offense before being promoted to quarterbacks coach in 2018—the first year with Patrick Mahomes at the helm as starting quarterback. Kafka was elevated to passing game coordinator in 2020.
It’s quite a quick ascension for Kafka up the NFL food chain so far given that he still trying to make it as a quarterback himself as recently as six years ago with the Cincinnati Bengals. He was originally a draft pick out of Northwestern for the Philadelphia Eagles back when Andy Reid was head coach himself back in 2010.
The Chiefs already lost one assistant earlier this winter when linebackers coach Matt House decided to accept the position as defensive coordinator at Louisiana State University with new head coach Brian Kelly and his staff. The Chiefs have not yet filled that position.