The Mike Kafka hire could change the Lions’ future at quarterback

Kafka had a lot to do with the growth of Patrick Mahomes.

Mike Payton — Detroit Lions Beat Writer
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Charles LeClaire USA Today

The Detroit Lions are set at quarterback with Jared Goff. He will be their guy until at least 2029. But that should not stop the Lions from thinking about their future at the position and maybe grabbing a guy who could develop over time until he’s ready to take over.

The Chiefs did a very similar thing with Patrick Mahomes. Oh, by the way, the Lions now have the guy who aided in that development.

Mike Kafka could help the Lions develop their next quarterback

Kafka was Mahomes’ quarterback coach the year he took over the job in 2018, and he was with him when the Chiefs won their first Super Bowl in 2019. It was Kafka who was charged with getting this young kid ready for the big time, and he did that. To some degree, Mahomes was always going to be Mahomes, but like every great quarterback, he needed someone to help point his powers in the right direction.

That makes you think about the possibility of the Lions going out in the 2026 NFL Draft with the intentions of finding the next guy. Could they lean on Kafka’s experience in getting that guy ready? At least to a point, since Kafka is not expected to be here for long. He could be a head coach or an OC again if the Lions have a big season.

Is this the draft for it? At one point in time, it looked to be one of the deepest drafts we’ve seen in a while for quarterbacks. With a bunch of guys returning to college, this class has cooled down. But there are still some options out there, like Ole Miss’ Trinidad Chambliss (might go back to school still), Penn State’s Drew Allar, LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier, Alabama’s Ty Simpson, and Arkansas’ Taylen Green. The Lions could look to grab a guy on Day 2 or Day 3 and begin developing him.

Frankly, even if Kafka left after 2026, that quarterback would still be in the capable hands of Mark Brunell. So there’s still room for growth.

If I were you, I would wait another year and hold out for players like USC’s Jayden Maiava, Ohio State’s Julian Sayin, or South Carolina’s LaNorris Sellers.

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