Former New York Giants offensive coordinator and interim head coach Mike Kafka is joining the Detroit Lions in an undefined “high-ranking offensive role,” per NFL insider Tom Pelissero.
Kafka was hired away from the Kansas City Chiefs to be the Giants’ offensive coordinator in 2022. He filled that role until the middle of the 2025 season, when Brian Daboll was fired and Kafka took over as interim head coach. He went 2-5.
Kafka, who has interviewed for head-coaching vacancies each offseason since joining
the Giants, interviewed for the Giants’ job before the organization hired John Harbaugh.
Now, Kafka, 38, will join head coach Dan Campbell in Detroit.
What Kafka’s role will be seems uncertain.
The Lions fired offensive coordinator John Morton at the end of the 2025 season, a year which saw Campbell strip Morton of play-calling duties late in the season. Former Arizona Cardinals offensive coordinator Drew Petzing has already been hired to fill that role.
Lions’ offensive line coach Hank Fraley is the team’s run game coordinator, and long-time Stanford head coach David Shaw is Detroit’s passing game coordinator.
Where Kafka fits with the Lions remains to be seen. He does, though, have a new employer.
