Of all the head-coaching candidates the Carolina Panthers have been connected to thus far, New York Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka may have one of the more interesting résumés of the bunch.
Although he isn’t the only former quarterback in the group, as the likes of Frank Reich and Ken Dorsey are also in consideration, his last game on an NFL field wasn’t that long ago. He, like fellow candidate Kellen Moore, last played in 2015—yup, the Panthers’ last Super Bowl year.
The former passer, additionally, would be an interesting follow-up to the Minnesota Vikings’ recent hire in Kevin O’Connell—who was drafted by the New England Patriots two season prior to Kafka’s class.
Even as a young coach, Kafka has already picked up some solid experience—starting with his stint as a graduate assistant at his alma mater of Northwestern University in 2016. From there, he jumped right to the NFL in 2017 and quickly climbed the ranks with the Kansas City Chiefs—serving as an offensive quality coach, quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator within a five-year span.
This year, Kafka was brought in to be the offensive coordinator under new Giants head coach Brian Daboll. He helped guide quarterback Daniel Jones to a career year, as the former first-rounder posted bests in completion percentage (67.2), passing yards (3,205), interceptions (five), rushing yards (708) and rushing touchdowns (seven).
Kafka would be seen as a risky hire given he only has one year of experience as a play caller (like a few other candidates that are set to be interviewed). But his experience under multiple offensive wizards, as well as his own time at quarterback, should serve him nicely during the interview process.
