Is Mike Kafka on the hot seat with New York Giants?

Four years ago, Mike Kafka was identified as a future NFL head coach. Three years ago, he was a red-hot assistant getting close to his time. Two years ago, he was an in-demand assistant coach making the leap. Twelve months ago, he earned head coaching interest. Now he's on the seat hoping to stave off the weekly pressure.

One of the oft-quoted maxims around the National Football League is that the letters NFL also stand for "Not For Long," and Kafka's current trajectory shows just how true that is—especially in teams with demanding fans located in tougher media markets.

For the sake of review, Mike Kafka is the current offensive coordinator for the New York Giants—a man in his second season who earned applause from outsiders a year ago after helping Big Blue reach the postseason for the first time in six seasons (and only the second time in 11 years). The Giants then went on to win their first playoff game in the Wild Card round, a 31-24 victory over the Minnesota Vikings in which Daniel Jones looked like a real playmaker.

Before that, Kafka was a quarterback with the Philadelphia Eagles under head coach Andy Reid. Back in '17, Kafka joined Reid's coaching staff with the Chiefs as a quality control coach and he quickly rose in the ranks to become the team's quarterbacks coach. All that hype came largely on Arrowhead's sidelines by working with the league's most explosive offense.

Back to New York. Even in the face of multiple injuries at the skill positions, the Giants looked better offensively and Kafka and his new boss, Brian Daboll, were lavished with praise. The progression in Jones led to a new four-year extension for their starting quarterback and the Giants looked like a team on the rise.

Funny how much can change in a single season. Right now, Jones is sitting on the sidelines for the long termsdf that occurred after a neck injury robbed him of a couple of games as well. The Giants are 2-8 and look pitiful on the field. It's a defective product and fans are tired of watching it. In response, they're calling for Kafka's proverbial head less than two seasons after hiring him away from the Chiefs.

In order to gain perspective on all of this, we reached out to our friend Braulio Perez, site expert for GMenHQ. How hot is Kafka's seat? Is there a change coming? We asked for some answers.

How hot is the seat under Mike Kafka at this point?

It’s not sizzling, but it’s definitely getting warm. The Giants rank dead last in points per game at 11.8 and the offense has been a nightmare to watch. Yes, Daniel Jones and Tyrod Taylor are injured, but fans were furious with Kafka this season before the two went down. He needs to find a way to move the ball, especially with a winnable game vs. Washington coming up. If the Giants get blown out again, the calls for Kafka to get canned are going to get louder.

How fair is that criticism knowing he was such a hot name as a coordinator and the strong first-year results?

I’d say it’s definitely fair. Before all these injuries happened, the Giants were shutout in Week 1 vs. Dallas and then needed a miracle comeback vs. Arizona in the first two games of the year. Brian Daboll has denied things, but speculation remains he took over play-calling duties in the desert to save the day for the Giants. Again, injuries have been brutal for this team on offense, but Kafka’s lack of creativity isn’t helping anyone.

Do you think the Giants will actually make the move?

Will the Giants actually fire him this season? On Monday, I would have said probably not, but with the Bills firing Ken Dorsey on Tuesday, it feels like things could change a bit. Daboll is under a lot of pressure in Year 2 and with the Giants' poor showing in '23, it feels like the wheels are falling off. Will someone be made a scapegoat? You could argue offensive line coach Bobby Johnson should also be on his way out, but a lot of eyes are on Kafka. My gut tells me he will make it through the season, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if he’s shown the door in the coming weeks.