MOBILE, Ala. — Most who get asked to coach in the Senior Bowl aren’t simultaneously managing head-coaching opportunities, but that’s the case for Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka. By the time the game rolls around Saturday, he could be head coach of the Saints.
Kafka is one of several candidates for the Saints and while he sounded prepared to continue on in his current job, he acknowledged it was still a possibility.
“No one’s been hired yet, so I’m just working my butt off at the Senior Bowl and letting God work in his own way,” he said Tuesday.
Kafka, 37, is from Chicago and played quarterback at St. Rita and Northwestern before bouncing around the NFL for a few years and going into coaching. He was one of the first candidates the Bears interviewed for their head-coaching vacancy.
He had a good meeting with the Bears on Jan. 9, and said he has a “great relationship” with general manager Ryan Poles and chief operating officer Ted Crews, both of whom overlapped with him when he was an assistant coach for the Chiefs.
“It’s really about that connection with the GM, the ownership and the staff you’re going to work with day to day,” Kafka said. “I just tried to help them understand who I am, what I’m about, and vice versa.”
He added, “Growing up in Chicago, I’m very familiar with the organization. A lot of people I respect.”
Whether he lands with the Saints or stays with the Giants, Kafka will have a tremendous task ahead of him.
Many wondered if the Giants would clean house after going 3-14 this season and finishing second-to-last in scoring at just 16.1 points per game, but general manager Joe Schoen, coach Brian Daboll and Kafka survived.
The Saints, meanwhile, have the least attractive of the seven head-coaching positions that were open in this hiring cycle. They fell to 5-12 under coach Dennis Allen, who was fired nine games into the season and recently was hired by the Bears as Johnson’s defensive coordinator, and have limited assets to fix their roster.
Quarterback Derek Carr is turning 34 and stands to carry a $51.5 million salary-cap hit next season, and the Saints have the No. 9 pick in a weak draft for quarterbacks. They also are projected to be an NFL-worst $52.3 million over the cap when the new league year begins, meaning they’ll have to shed considerable salaries.
Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady withdrew from consideration, and Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn dropped out when he got offered the Jets job. Both had interviews with the Bears.
Nonetheless, Kafka was undeterred.
“There’s a lot of things to like about that organization, and if the opportunity presents itself, you’ll be lucky to get that job,” he said.
Kafka is one of six known candidates still in the mix, and the favorite to get the job is former Packers and Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy. He also interviewed with the Bears and was thought to be one of their top contingencies if they couldn’t get Johnson. The Saints also are expected to interview Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore this week.
Kafka has interviewed with at least eight teams for head-coaching positions over the last three hiring cycles. He said Tuesday it’s more about evaluating each situation’s advantages than trying to determine the right time in his career to make the jump.
“Each [interview] is a little bit different, but they’ve all been great experiences,” he said. “I’ve been able to learn from each one of them. At this point I have a good frame of mind of what I’m looking for. It’s just about connecting with the organizations.”