New York Giants assistant head coach and offensive coordinator Mike Kafka completed an in-person interview with the New Orleans Saints on Saturday. He is considered the frontrunner to win the vacant head coaching job.
Kafka is reportedly “hoping” to be approached and has begun considering who to hire as offensive and defensive coordinator.
In a strange development, ESPN’s Jordan Lahran reported that Kafka is expected to bring in former Giants defensive coordinator Wink Martindale if he takes the job.
Interesting information about this: If Mike Kafka wins the Saints job, multiple league sources expect him to bring in Wink Martindale as defensive coordinator. They obviously worked with the Giants and were key to their initial success in 2022. https://t.co/0hwUBo2THA
— Jordan Raanan (@JordanRaanan) January 26, 2025
Martindale worked alongside Kafka during his first two seasons with the Giants under general manager Joe Schon and head coach Brian Daboll’s regime. However, things quickly deteriorated between Martindale and Daboll, leading to an ugly public split.
After his “resignation” at East Rutherford, Martindale spent last season as Michigan State’s defensive coordinator, where he earned the highest coordinator salary in the country.
During this coaching stint, Martindale met with the Atlanta Falcons and Indianapolis Colts, and drew interest from the Cincinnati Bengals.
Kafka, on the other hand, remained in office after Martindale’s departure and was promoted to prevent him from moving to the side. Mr. Kafka was reportedly positive about this. And while he’s said all the right things in public, numerous reports suggest he’s not very happy in private, especially after being stripped of play-calling duties.
Given that Martindale is Kafka’s first choice as defensive coordinator, some might suggest that Daboll and Kafka’s opinion of the Giants’ head coach doesn’t reflect much.
If Kafka and Martindale landed in New Orleans, it wouldn’t be long before they met the Giants and Daboll. Both teams are scheduled to play at Caesars Superdome in 2025.