Giants OC Mike Kafka to Participate in NFL’s Coach Accelerator Program

New York Giants offensive coordinator/assistant head coach Mike Kafka has been selected to participate in the NFL’s upcoming coaching accelerator program, which aims to help assistant coaches prepare for a potential future as head coaches.

Kafka, one of 27 assistants selected for the program which will run concurrently with the league’s spring meetings in Nashville this coming week, has drawn interest for head coaching positions in the last two hiring cycles. 

He was reportedly a finalist for the Arizona opening, which ultimately went to Jonathan Gannon two years ago, and for the Seattle Seahawks position, which went to Mike Macdonald this past off-season.

The Giants, who recognized the 36-year-old Kafka’s promise, promoted the former NFL quarterback to assistant head coach, a role he’ll hold along with his role as offensive coordinator. 

As assistant head coach, Kafka told reporters that head coach Brian Daboll has involved him in several off-season aspects, such as the interview process that went on earlier in the year when the team was assigned new assistant coaches and staff members.

“It’s certainly an honor to have that title. I don’t take it lightly,” Kafka told reporters last month in his first comments since receiving the promotion. 

“Being a part of that, [I see] how the inner workings of those decisions happen. And then sitting in on building out this off-season. So, sitting in on the planning, listening to our health department work through our injured guys and their progress and how they are going to build that into our off-season program—that’s  been cool to be a part of really the backbone on how we’re going to do this thing.”

It’s unknown how Kafka’s gameday responsibilities will change. Still, it is widely believed that he will no longer exclusively call the plays and that Daboll will take on that responsibility for the coming season.

The NFL’s Coach Accelerator Program allows clubs and owners to engage with qualified coaching candidates from diverse backgrounds.