Dan Campbell Knows What Mike Kafka Is Going Through
Dan Campbell sees a lot of himself in Mike Kafka. Both went from interim head coach to a lesser role elsewhere, and Campbell believes that detour can ultimately make Kafka better.
Let’s go back to January 2016 for a minute. The Miami Dolphins had an interim head coach named Dan Campbell who arguably changed things in Miami for the good. They didn’t give him the head coach job. He instead went to the New Orleans Saints to be a tight ends coach and assistant head coach.
Now let’s flash to 2026. The New York Giants had an interim head coach named Mike Kafka who arguably changed things in New York for the good. They didn’t give him the head coach job. He instead went to the Detroit Lions to be a passing game coordinator.
The parallels are obvious.
The move from being the top guy, even if it was interim, to being a spoke on the wheel is humbling. Campbell knows that firsthand.
Campbell Has Been There
Campbell said the thing that really helped him was getting back with Sean Payton, with whom he had been with as a player in New York, Dallas, and partly New Orleans. Payton helped him fill in all the things he needed to learn to get back to the head coach ranks.
It took him five years before he did that when the Lions hired him in 2021. Kafka arguably has the upper hand on what Campbell had because he has been an offensive coordinator in the league for a little bit now and has at least had more head coach interviews. He is potentially a really good season in Detroit away from getting a shot to be a head coach somewhere.
That is, unless he takes an OC job somewhere. Something that might not be the best idea right now.
Campbell sees the parallels between his career and Kafka’s. He knows what it takes to come back from that.
“I know what that is, when you go from where he’s been, you were the interim head coach and then you’re kind of sliding back to a role with a new team,” Campbell said. “That requires you have got to humble yourself again a little bit and that’s a good thing.”
And yeah, it is a good thing. Campbell lived it. He knows the value of taking a step back to move forward. If Kafka can do what Campbell did, learn what he needs to learn, stay patient, and let the work speak for itself, he will get his shot.
The Lions might be the exact place where that happens.
Do you think Kafka has what it takes to turn this passing game coordinator gig into a head coaching job, or is he just another guy who got close and will never get over the hump? Drop your take below.
Man, this is exactly what we need to hear. Campbell’s been through it and he gets what Kafka is feeling right now. If anyone knows how to come back from a step down and actually learn what matters, it’s our guy. I really think Kafka’s gonna thrive here and honestly might be in line for a HC gig sooner than we think.
I like the optimism, but let’s pump the brakes a little. Just because Campbell came back from it doesn’t mean every coordinator is gonna have the same path. Kafka’s talented, no doubt, but there’s a lot of moving pieces that have to line up right. Let’s see how this passing game actually looks on the field first.
You know, it’s wild how different this feels compared to the old days. Back when we’d cycle through coordinators and coaches like it was a revolving door, nobody was thinking about building anyone up like this. Campbell actually mentors guys and cares about their development. That’s how you know things have changed around here for real.