We’re a little more than a week into the Detroit Lions’ offensive coordinator search, and thus far, four candidates have emerged for the job:
- Former Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel
- Seahawks pass game coordinator Jake Peetz
- Ravens quarterbacks coach Tee Martin
- Giants OC/interim head coach Mike Kafka
Now, obviously, because the Lions aren’t officially announcing their interviews for the job, there is almost certainly a significantly longer list of candidates. You also have to imagine the Lions are interviewing a few internal candidates, like Scottie Montgomery, Hank Fraley, and maybe even Mark Brunell.
But, for now, let’s stick with these four. Today’s Question of the Day is:
Which of the four known candidates for the Lions OC job is your favorite?
My answer: I’ve been a fan on Mike Kafka since it was clear this job could be open.
Obviously, things didn’t work out as well as Kafka wanted with the Giants. Since becoming New York’s offensive coordinator in 2022, they haven’t ranked higher than 15th in points scored or 16th in offensive DVOA. While there was certainly some talent issues over that time, what the Colts did with Daniel Jones in 2025 certainly doesn’t reflect well on how the Giants used him.
So why do I actually like him? For one, he’s clearly a well-respected coach around the league. His innovation and leadership qualities have landed him head coaching interviews in 2023 (Panthers, Texans, Colts), 2024 (Titans, Seahawks), and 2025 (Bears, Saints) despite the low production. Certainly, it says something that he didn’t land any of those jobs, but the fact that there’s interest suggests there’s a lot more to like that what the surface-level stats suggest.
Additionally, how Kafka has found some limited success was through the running game in New York. In his first year as offensive coordinator, the Giants ranked fourth in rushing yards and in 2025 they ranked fifth. The only year the Giants dipped below the top half of the league in rushing yards was the one year that Brian Daboll opted to take over playcalling (2024)—which is also the year the Giants let Saquon Barkley walk.
When we got an up-close look at Kafka, he put out a masterpiece against the Lions. In a game they were missing QB Jaxson Dart, RB Cam Skattebo, and WR Malik Nabers, the Giants put up 517 yards of offense and 27 points against Detroit. They ran the ball 39(!!!) times, while making Jameis Winston (18-of-36 for 366 yards) and Wan’Dale Robinson (9 catches, 156 yards) look like Steve Young and Jerry Rice. He mixed in trick plays that caught the Lions off-guard, and was aggressive on fourth down (arguably too aggressive).
Now, obviously, I don’t want to get too infatuated based on a single game, but I think Kafka’s reputation around the league is much better than you may think based on his statistical output. And while the Andy Reid coaching tree has had some misses (Matt Nagy, Pat Shurmur), there have been some relative success stories, too (Sean McDermott, John Harbaugh, Doug Pederson).
Which of the four is your favorite and why? Scroll down and let us know in the comment section.
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