It seems as though the Carolina Panthers and owner David Tepper know what they’re looking for in their head-coaching search.
As reported by NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero on Tuesday morning, the team has requested to interview New York Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka. The 35-year-old is now the seventh known candidate for the job, and the sixth with offensive ties.
The #Panthers requested an interview with #Giants OC Mike Kafka for their head coaching job, per source.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 10, 2023
Kafka was a fourth-round pick by the Philadelphia Eagles in 2010. (So to put his age into perspective, he was drafted a year before Cam Newton.)
He’d last as an NFL quarterback until 2015—bouncing around between seven organizations, mostly as a practice squad player. Over his four games, the Northwestern University product passed for 107 yards and a pair of interceptions.
His coaching career began in 2016, as a graduate assistant at his alma mater. Kafka made the jump to the NFL a year later with the Kansas City Chiefs—where he served as an offensive quality control coach, quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator from 2017 to 2021.
In 2022, he was hired as the New York Giants offensive coordinator. With Kafka, New York finished the campaign 18th in total offense (333.9 yards per game) and 16th in scoring (21.5 points per game).
