The New York Giants might be changing their play-caller on offense — again. In 2022, offensive coordinator Mike Kafka called the plays for the Giants’ offense. It wasn’t perfect, but it was good enough to get Big Blue to the postseason and to win a playoff game for the first time in over a decade.
In 2023, however, things took a turn for the worse. The offense struggled mightily, which, according to reports, prompted head coach Brian Daboll to strip Kafka of his playcalling duties, handing them to quarterbacks coach Shea Tierney for a time, then taking them over himself, before seemingly handing them back to Kafka to close out the year. In 2024, Daboll was the sole play-caller on offense. The unit limped through the season, finishing as the 31st-ranked scoring offense.
Heading into 2025, the Giants are contemplating who will be calling plays in the new season. It seems like Kafka could be taking back those responsibilities — if he’s still around. Kafka is a finalist for the New Orleans Saints’ head coaching job.
Giants could lose OC Mike Kafka to New Orleans Saints HC job
Former Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy removed himself from the running for the Saints’ head coaching job on Tuesday evening, leaving Kafka as one of three finalists for the position (Philadelphia Eagles OC Kellen Moore and Miami Dolphins DC Anthony Weaver being the other two).
Kafka recently met with the Saints in person in New Orleans for a second interview. Moore is viewed as the favorite to get the job, however, he has a good thing going in Philadelphia and could pass New Orleans over as a result. This would then make Kafka the likely favorite to be the next head coach of the Saints.
Giants general manager Joe Schoen spoke about Kafka’s potential departure with Paul Schwartz of The New York Post this week while in Alabama for the Senior Bowl:
“Selfishly I hope he doesn’t get the New Orleans job, but if he does, he’s well deserving,” Schoen said. “Fortunate to have him on our staff.”
The Giants clearly view Kafka highly. He was a finalist for several head coaching jobs last offseason but ultimately stuck in New York after the Giants promoted him as the assistant head coach. They value his talent and are hoping to keep him within the organization. If Kafka were to leave, that could cause a major shakeup in the Giants’ offense.
Who will call plays if Kafka leaves?
Daboll told the media following the conclusion of the regular season that he spoke with co-owner and team president John Mara, mentioning a conversation the two of them had about playcalling duties. Both Daboll and Mara told the media that they are considering all of their options, including having Daboll give up playcalling duties again in 2025.
The next man in line to call the plays would logically be Kafka. However, if Kafka is in New Orleans, this could motivate Daboll to retain the playcalling duties. If he doesn’t want to call plays, though, quarterbacks coach Shea Tierney would be the likely man to take on that responsibility.
Tierney has been with the Giants since 2022. He was previously an assistant on Daboll’s staff with the Buffalo Bills from 2018 to 2021. The two also worked together at Alabama in 2017 when Daboll was the Crimson Tide’s offensive coordinator, and Tierney was an assistant. Daboll views Tierney highly and has given him opportunities to call plays in the past, so if the head coach doesn’t want to maintain those responsibilities if Kafka leaves, the duties would likely fall upon Tierney.