The New England Patriots may not be the only team to choose a former NFL player as its next head coach.
ESPN’s Dan Graziano reported on Tuesday that New York Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka has emerged as a viable candidate to be the Seattle Seahawks’ next head coach. Graziano adds that the Seahawks have already interviewed Kafka twice.
Kafka was a journeyman quarterback in the NFL. He was drafted in the fourth round by the Philadelphia Eagles in 2010 and played for seven different clubs (mostly on the practice squad). Kafka’s first NFL coaching job was with the Kansas City Chiefs from 2017 to 21 (including serving as the quarterbacks coach for their Super Bowl LIV victory in 2019). He then joined the Giants as offensive coordinator before the 2022 season.
Still only 36 years old, Kafka has already piqued the interest of head coaches and was a finalist for another NFC job about this time last year. It looks that one other coach is still widely favored to succeed Pete Carroll as Seattle’s coach. However, Kafka may easily gain ground in the race.
READ MORE: Seahawks ‘Spooked,’ out of Ben Johnson sweepstakes.
The Seattle Seahawks are one of only two clubs who do not currently have a head coach, and they recently lost one of their probable prospects.
According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson has informed the Seahawks and Washington Commanders that he would withdraw from both competitions and return to the Lions next season to continue working under coach Dan Campbell.
“Lions OC Ben Johnson informed the Seahawks and Commanders that he’s staying in Detroit, per sources,” Pelissero said in a statement. “Johnson is still only 37 years old and will be a top head coaching contender again next year. But first, he wants another chance to deliver the Lombardi Trophy to Detroit.” According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, despite the hoopla around Johnson as a potential head-coaching appointment, he supposedly demanded an excessively large deal, scaring away teams he spoke with, including Seattle and Washington.
“Ben Johnson was not the head-coaching lock that people thought and his asking price spooked some teams, per sources,” Schefter said in a statement.
