Sportsnaut
There has been a lot of speculation about the outside options that could be the next head coach of the New York Giants. However, a new report suggests their interim head coach has a serious shot of landing the full-time gig in 2026.
On Nov. 10, the hammer finally fell on Brian Daboll after months of rumors. Following another ugly loss and blown lead, the Giants did something they rarely do, and fired a head coach in-season. With six games still left on the schedule, New York made offensive coordinator Mike Kafka their interim head coach.
Most assume Kafka will serve in a transitional role until the organization decides on the person who will officially replace Daboll. The Giants brand is one of the most prestigious in the league, so there are sure to be many suitors for the position, and even NFL legend Bill Belichick has been linked to the job. However, Kafka has a real chance of holding on to the position.
According to ESPN’s Mike Graziano, after being a finalist for the head coach job for the Arizona Cardinals and Seattle Seahawks a couple of years ago, he believes that Kafka’s reputation around the league is strong enough that “he’ll get a legitimate look from the Giants” over the final two months of the season.
But how realistic are Kafka’s chances since he was a top assistant for Daboll? One would assume the Giants would want to move on from any links to the stench that the former coach left on the team after going 20-40-1 in three and a half seasons overseeing the roster. However, Kafka has a good chance of keeping the job because the head coach candidate options this year aren’t as strong as in recent years.
Graziano claims “the OC pool has kind of thinned out in recent years, as so many of them have gotten head coach jobs and been fired within two or three years, “and that organizations could choose to look “beyond the coordinator positions to position coaches” in their searches.
Furthermore, fellow ESPN NFL insider Jeremy Fowler added that this year’s head coach “cycle is far more wide open” this year because there are no clear-cut strong contenders.
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