The Eagles have two more candidates to succeed Kevin Patullo as their offensive coordinator: Giants interim head coach Mike Kafka and Colts offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter.
Kafka interviewed for the job on Saturday, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. He has also received OC interest from the Lions and the Buccaneer, in addition to an earlier interview for the permanent head coaching gig in New York that will go to John Harbaugh. Harbaugh is expected to bring in his own staff, so Kafka will not continue as the Giants’ OC, either.
Though Kafka is better known for his coaching stints with the Chiefs and the Giants, he began his NFL career as an Eagles fourth-round pick in 2010. He appeared in four games in 2011, his only regular-season action in his six years in the league. He retired from playing in 2015, spent a year as a graduate assistant at his alma mater, Northwestern, before joining Andy Reid‘s staff in Kansas City. He played a crucial role in developing Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs’ passing game in general, which helped him secure the OC job under Brian Daboll in New York. The Eagles may be interested in that expertise to revitalize an air attack that sputtered out at the end of the seasons.
The Eagles also requested an interview with Cooter, according to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo. He has a more recent connection to Philadelphia. He served as a consultant on Nick Sirianni‘s staff in 2021, when he first worked under then-Eagles OC and now-Colts head coach Shane Steichen. After a year as the Jaguars’ passing game coordinator under Doug Pederson, Cooter took his current job in Indianapolis. The Eagles’ OC job would appear to be a lateral move, but Cooter would have his first play-calling opportunity since his three-year stint as the Lions’ offensive coordinator from 2016 to 2018. Teams hiring head coaches are increasingly looking for proven play-callers, making it more difficult to vault from a non-play-calling OC position directly into a top job.