Giants GM addresses Brian Daboll-Mike Kafka relationship

New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen insisted while speaking with reporters at the NFL Scouting Combine on Tuesday that "there is no tension there" between head coach Brian Daboll and offensive coordinator Mike Kafka even though Kafka seemingly wanted to leave the organization this offseason. 

"Mike’s a really good coach, he’s a great teammate," Schoen said, as shared by Cayden Steele of NJ Advance Media for NJ.com. "He’s an asset around the building and he’s a young coach that’s been a coordinator for two years and we elevated him to a new title (assistant head coach) because we are going to continue to develop him as a head coach." 

It's now hardly a secret that the relationship between Daboll and then-New York defensive coordinator Don "Wink" Martindale became damaged beyond repair during the 2023 season en route to Martindale leaving the Giants in January. While Kafka failed to earn a head coaching job this offseason, he reportedly was interested in speaking with the Seattle Seahawks about their offensive coordinator role before Big Blue blocked such a discussion from occurring. 

"Obviously, there is a lot of like for him around the league, he’s in demand," Schoen said about Kafka. "He was a finalist for two jobs over the last couple of years and he’s earned it, he’s a really good coach that’s got a bright future and he’s an asset to the organization. There’s no tension between Mike and Dabs." 

It was reported earlier in February that "Kafka had his play-calling revoked at points last season" and that he was "prevented" from leaving the Giants for a lateral move after Week 18. Daboll's alleged "madman" demeanor on gamedays during the 6-11 campaign seemingly rubbed some coaches the wrong way, and Schoen was asked Tuesday if the winner of the 2022 Associated Press Coach of the Year Award needs to change how he communicates with assistants.

"We are all going to learn and grow over time, but we have to," Schoen responded. "It’s the first time that we went through adversity. I’m sure there is a lot that we all learned about ourselves going through that and as leaders, myself included, we’ve all got to get better in terms of how we handle those situations, and I think we are all going to reflect this offseason on how things went and what we can do better, and I would put Dabs in that category as well." 

Daboll may already be on the hot seat considering former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick is available. How Daboll handles the many criticisms that have hovered over his status for months could determine his future with his current employer beyond this coming fall.