January 19, 2020
A day after a report emerged that the Eagles weren't looking at Chiefs quarterbacks coach Mike Kafka as their next offensive coordinator, it appears the Birds do have an interest in the former backup quarterback who spent two seasons with the Birds.
That's the latest from NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, who also says there's a chance Andy Reid and the Chiefs block the Eagles' request in order to keep him on their staff, not unlike what the Eagles did with former QB coach John DeFilippo a few years ago before letting him take those interviews — and losing him to the Vikings — a year later.
The Eagles still haven't filled their OC job, and one intriguing candidate will be on the field today -- Chiefs QB coach Mike Kafka. The former Philly backup is expected to receive an interview request from the Eagles, but without play-calling duties available under Doug Pederson, it's possible Andy Reid may block Kafka and offer him a promotion on the staff. If current OC Eric Bieniemy gets a head coaching job, Kafka would be the heir-apparent at OC. [nfl.com]
If the Chiefs don't block the interview request, however, Philly would be able to interview Kafka this week — whether Kansas City advances past Tennessee or not — because of the extra week off between the conference championships and the Super Bowl.
Currently, the Eagles have only interviewed one candidate for their vacant OC position — USC offensive coordinator Graham Harrell — after firing Mike Groh in the days following the end of their 2019 season.
Earlier this week, Zack Rosenblatt of NJ.com took a look at six candidates who make sense for the Eagles and named Kafka as one of them. Here's what he said about why Kafka would be a good fit:
Kafka is considering a rising coaching star in league circles, especially for his work as Kansas Ciy’s quarterbacks coach with Patrick Mahomes.
He both played for and has coached under Reid, and a job as the Eagles’ offensive coordinator, working for Pederson, would make a lot of sense. It would provide both an outside voice AND someone who is well-familiar with how things work for the Eagles, and Wentz is more likely to take coaching from someone who has done it before in the NFL. [nj.com]
Interestingly enough, one of the biggest reasons a guy like Kafka makes sense is the same reason Rapoport believes Reid and the Chiefs won't be willing to let him go: he wouldn't have to call the plays.
For a guy with no experience as a coordinator or a play caller, landing in Pederson's system, where the head coach is responsible for calling the plays, would allow Kafka a chance to learn all the other aspects of the job before taking that final monstrous step and calling the actual game. It could help lead to more success, especially since he'd be going from working with one franchise quarterback in Patrick Mahomes to another in Carson Wentz and seemingly has a good grasp on QB development.
Whether or not Kafka is ultimately "the guy," the Eagles are going to need to start making some hires. They currently have four coaching vacancies, including OC, and the list of potential candidates seems to be shrinking by the day as guys take jobs elsewhere or decline interviews in order to return to their same teams. The clock is ticking...
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