Former New York Giants head coach Mike Kafka shakes hands with Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell David Reginek-Imagn Images

Former OC Candidate Joins Detroit Lions Coaching Staff

Originally posted on Detroit Lions on SI | Last updated Jan 26, 2026 4:21 PM ET

The Detroit Lions are adding another voice to their offensive coaching staff.

On Monday, NFL reports indicated that Dan Campbell is adding former New York Giants offensive coordinator and interim head coach Mike Kafka to the offensive coaching staff. His role is unspecified as of publication, but NFL insider Tom Pelissero wrote that it will be in a “high ranking” offensive role.

Kafka had previously interviewed for the Lions’ offensive coordinator vacancy, which the team recently filled with the hiring of former Arizona Cardinals offensive coordinator Drew Petzing.

One logical option the Lions could have is to make Kafka the new passing game coordinator, a role that was filled by David Shaw for the 2025 season. Shaw’s future with the team in 2026 has not been reported on.

Detroit has one known vacancy on its staff, as tight ends coach Tyler Roehl departed to become the offensive coordinator at Iowa State University.

Kafka was one of the prominent candidates available in this year’s hiring cycle. He had been the Giants’ offensive coordinator since 2022, joining the staff with the hiring of coach Brian Daboll. When Daboll was fired, Kafka served as the interim head coach beginning on Nov. 10 and finished 2-5 in the role.

Other stops in Kafka’s coaching career include at Northwestern as a graduate assistant and with the Kansas City Chiefs for five years. Kafka began his time with the Chiefs as a quality control coach, then progressed into the quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator role under head coach Andy Reid.

Under Kafka’s leadership, the Giants’ offense finished 17th in scoring and 13th in yards. The team started three quarterbacks in Russell Wilson, rookie Jaxson Dart and Jameis Winston. One notable game that resonated with Lions fans was an overtime battle between the Lions and Giants at Ford Field in Week 12.

With Winston starting and starting running back Cam Skattebo out for the season, the Giants managed to rack up 517 yards of offense in a 34-27 overtime loss to Detroit. That game was Kafka’s second as the interim head coach.

Before entering the coaching ranks, Kafka had a career as a quarterback. He played in 30 games and threw for 4,265 yards and 19 touchdowns in college at Northwestern, then was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the fourth round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He played in four NFL games with no starts, with all appearances coming in 2011 with the Eagles. Kafka would have stints with six other organizations during the next four seasons, but never appeared in another game.