Chiefs and Andy Reid decide to release Jawaan Taylor before NFL free agency
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Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid.
As part of their offseason work so far, the Detroit Lions hired former New York Giants interim coach Mike Kafka as their new passing game coordinator.
Kafka, who was also the offensive coordinator for the Giants before stepping in briefly as interim head coach, also spent time in the NFL as a quarterback with the Philadelphia Eagles and then as quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator with the Kansas City Chiefs.
He’s crossed paths multiple times across his playing and coaching career with the legendary Andy Reid, who had nothing but good things to say about what the Lions are getting in Kafka.
Andy Reid Has Great News For Detroit Lions Fans With Regard To Mike Kafka
Reid knows Kafka well from their time together with the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs, and believes that the Lions made a wise investment by hiring him.
“Yeah, so I had him as a player, too. I picked him up out of Northwestern there,” Reid said of Kafka. “I think the world of him. He’s a brilliant kid — not a kid anymore, a brilliant guy.
“He’s got a great football mind. He’s gonna do good. He’ll be good for the Lions, yeah.”
This can only spell good news for the Lions’ prospects of success next season, in which they hope to return to the NFL playoffs after just missing out with a 9-8 record in 2025.
Mike Kafka Wasn’t The Only Lions Offensive Hire
As expected, the Lions parted ways with offensive coordinator John Morton after just one season on the job. His playcalling duties were assumed by head coach Dan Campbell midway through the season that ultimately failed to yield a playoff result, meaning changes would be coming.
They hired former Arizona Cardinals offensive coordinator Drew Petzing in his place; he now takes over as offensive coordinator in the Motor City.
This past February, not long after the hiring of Kafka was made official, Petzing spoke at length about the different perspectives and experiences that Kafka is able to provide, and that it will benefit the club overall.
“I think you’re going to look at all the guys on that staff, Mike included, that come from different backgrounds, that have been in different systems, that have coached different players,” Petzing said in February. “And you know, I talked to the experience piece — I haven’t experienced everything, good better and different at different spots and different systems and different opponents, and I think when you get guys that don’t have big egos, that have high capacity, that are adaptable in the way that they do things and are confident in how they’ve done them, and able to explain that.”
“Ultimately, I think our goal is to get to the best, final answer,” he continued. “And the more people and the more creativity you have, Mike being a huge part of that, I think it helps all of us.”
As a player, Kafka spent time with multiple NFL organizations, including the Eagles, New England Patriots, Jacksonville Jaguars, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Minnesota Vikings, Tennessee Titans, and Cincinnati Bengals.