We have completed an in person interview with Mike Kafka for our head coach position. pic.twitter.com/oFEF6QnIvq
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) January 25, 2025
The New Orleans Saints have completed an in-person interview with Mike Kafka for their open head coach position, the team announced Saturday afternoon. Kafka, 37, has worked on the Kansas City Chiefs under Andy Reid and spent the last few years on the New York Giants staff as offensive coordinator, though head coach Brian Daboll has called plays in each of the last two seasons (neither of which ended with a playoff berth).
He’s an intriguing candidate for the job. Both Reid and Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes have spoken glowingly about Kafka’s value as a leader and communicator, and he has a lot of fans around the league. Getting stuck in a bad situation with the Giants may not be held against him. Sean Payton (another Reid disciple) came to the Saints after experiencing a similar dead-end run with the Giants way back in the day, too.
Something else to keep in mind? Kafka’s in-person interview, taken with the Saints’ sit-down meeting with Miami Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver, satisfies the NFL’s Rooney Rule. Teams are required to interview two minority head coach candidates in person before filling a vacancy and Kafka qualifies for it. He and his family are Puerto Rican and he’s participated in the annual NFL accelerator program designed at cultivating candidates like him and Weaver for head coach opportunities.
Could Kafka get the job? Maybe so. He’s highly regarded around the NFL and the Saints have expressed genuine interest in him so far. It’s just kind of a tough sell when the offensive coordinator leaves a team with a bad offense, even if it wasn’t his playbook or his voice on the headset on Sundays.
