The New York Giants coaching staff is at risk of experiencing a great amount of overturns this offseason. Head coach Brian Daboll did an excellent job last offseason building a staff that would go on to lead the Giants to their first playoff berth since 2016. However, Daboll could be back at square one this offseason with both his offensive coordinator and defensive coordinator at risk of being lost to head coaching positions elsewhere.
Giants OC Mike Kafka and DC Wink Martindale are both listed as finalists for head coaching jobs around the NFL. Kafka is one of three known finalists for the Arizona Cardinals head coaching position, per Jeremy Fowler of ESPN. Martindale is also “still in the running” for the head coaching job of the Indianapolis Colts, according to Jordan Raanan of ESPN. With both of Daboll’s coordinators listed as finalists for greater positions, the Giants are at risk of having to rebuild their coaching staff again this offseason.
What replacement options do the Giants currently have?
Brian Daboll will need to begin surveying his options and preparing for the worst at the offensive and defensive coordinator positions. Complicating matters further, however, a potential in-house replacement at offensive coordinator is being considered for the same job by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Giants quarterbacks coach Shea Tierney recently interviewed for the Buccaneers’ offensive coordinator job. Tierney would be a strong contender for the Giants’ position if Kafka were to leave for Arizona.
If the Giants do end up with a vacant defensive coordinator position, they could consider the idea of having Jerome Henderson and Andre Patterson serve as co-defensive coordinators in 2023, as suggested by New York Giants beat writer Art Stapleton. In this scenario, Henderson (Giants’ defensive backs coach) would be the team’s pass defense coordinator and Patterson (Giants’ defensive line coach) would be the team’s run defense coordinator. Both Henderson and Patterson have served in co-coordinator spots previously in their respective careers.
Last offseason, Brian Daboll cast a wide net during his search for assistant coaches and coordinators. If the Giants do indeed lose both of their coordinators, Daboll will likely take a similar approach this offseason, hiring coaches based on quality, potential, and experience, rather than familiarity.
The New York Giants coaching staff was excellent in 2022 and both Mike Kafka and Wink Martindale were a huge part of the team’s success. Losing either of these two coordinators would be a huge loss for Big Blue, let alone losing both of them.
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