Indianapolis Colts Request to Interview New York Giants OC Mike Kafka

The New York Giants are one of the surprises of the 2022 regular season, but their success could cost them one of their promising young coaches. According to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, the Indianapolis Colts have requested to interview Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka for their head coaching vacancy.

The #Colts put in a request to interview #Giants OC Mike Kafka for their head coaching job, per source.

This was already in the works. But pretty good timing after Kafka’s offense put on a show in Minnesota. The #Panthers and #Texans want to speak with him, too. A hot candidate.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 16, 2023

Kafka is a hot commodity this hiring cycle largely due to the progress the Giants' offense demonstrated in 2022. After five straight losing seasons and two consecutive years of ranking 31st in scoring, the Giants improved to a 9-7-1 record and an 18th ranking in scoring on the backs of a career year from quarterback Daniel Jones and a healthy season from running back Saquon Barkley. That progress culminated in an exceptional performance against the Minnesota Vikings on Wildcard Weekend, a game in which the Giants piled up 31 points and 431 yards with zero turnovers.

Besides the quick turnaround, Kafka also has connections working for him. He played quarterback under former Philadelphia Eagles coach Andy Reid and later coached quarterbacks for Reid with the Kansas City Chiefs from 2018 to 2021. Those years coincided with the rise of superstar passer Patrick Mahomes. Current Giants coach Brian Daboll also oversaw the development of quarterback Josh Allen into one of the NFL's elite passers as the Buffalo Bills' OC from 2018 to 2021. Kafka would be a great fit for a franchise looking to grow with a young quarterback.