The New York Giants are coming off their best win in forever, a 34-17 annihilation of the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday night that brought a much-needed jolt of hope back to East Rutherford. Rookie quarterback sensation Jaxson Dart’s command of the offense continues to impress under offensive coordinator Mike Kafka. The 22-year-old is now 2-1 as a starter, and while it hasn’t always been perfect, it’s clear Big Blue is trending up.
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The win quieted some of the heat surrounding head coach Brian Daboll’s job security — at least for now — but the noise hasn’t entirely died down. What also hasn’t cooled off is Kafka’s head coaching buzz. Big Blue's offensive play-caller is quietly leading one of the league’s most electric young offenses. Now, he’s back on the radar for another job opening after the Tennessee Titans fired head coach Brian Callahan on Monday, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
That move opens the door for a potential reunion between Kafka and Titans general manager Mike Borgonzi, who spent years together in Kansas City. Tennessee just so happens to have a rookie quarterback of their own, and if it wants to tap into some quarterback development magic, it’s hard to find a better resume than Kafka’s.
Mike Kafka could be next up in Tennessee after Titans fire Brian Callahan
It's only Week 6, and the league has had its first head coaching fire. That's crazy.
The Titans moved on from Callahan after an abysmal 4-19 record, making him the first head coach fired this season. Interim head coach and former Tennessee senior offensive assistant Mike McCoy will guide the team the rest of the way, but the long-term hire likely won’t come until the offseason.
When that happens, Kafka’s name is expected to be in the mix — again.
He’s already interviewed with Tennessee in 2024. The connection with Borgonzi, who became GM earlier this year, only adds fuel to the fire. The two overlapped with the Chiefs during some of their most successful years, including a Super Bowl run, with Kafka working directly with superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
That quarterback development track record followed him to New York, where he’s now overseeing Dart’s fast-tracked progress.
That context matters for Tennessee, which selected Cam Ward with the first-overall pick of the 2025 Draft. Ward’s been struggling while Dart is flashing early signs of franchise-quarterback potential — and it’s Kafka pulling the strings in both situations. That’s not going unnoticed.
Kafka’s contract is reportedly up at the end of this season. If the Titans — or another team — hires him as a head coach, the Giants would receive two third-round compensatory picks under the Rooney Rule. It’s something to keep an eye out for as coaching dominoes start to fall.
Whether it happens this cycle or the next, Kafka’s path toward a top job feels inevitable. The only question is whether the Giants are ready to lose their play-caller just as the offense is finally starting to click. That'd be another brutal setback in a decade-plus full of them.