Former Vikings Coach Fired by Bears
Josh Frey
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For seven seasons, Andrew Janocko served as an assistant coach for the Minnesota Vikings.
He was hired in 2015 to join Mike Zimmer’s staff as an offensive quality control coach, and he also served as an offensive line coach, receivers coach, and quarterbacks coach during his tenure in Minnesota. Then, before the 2022 season, Janocko was hired by the Chicago Bears as the QBs coach.
Former Vikings Coach Fired by Bears
The former Vikings coach spent two seasons in Chicago, and on Wednesday morning, a report came out that Janocko was fired by the Bears in a series of moves from the team.
Courtney Cronin of ESPN tweeted on Wednesday, “Breaking: The Bears made changes to their offensive staff this morning with the firing of OC Luke Getsy, QBs coach Andrew Janocko and WRs coach Tyke Tolbert.”
Before he was a coach, Janocko played quarterback at the University of Pittsburgh from 2007-2010, and he was largely a backup behind names like Bill Stull and Tino Sunseri. After his playing days, Janocko spent time on the coaching staffs of Rutgers (2011), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2012–2013), and Mercyhurst (2014) before joining the Vikings.
These moves come after a 7-10 season in Chicago, which is not great by any means, but it far surpassed their success in 2022 when the Bears went 3-14, the worst record in the NFL.
Still, the offense seems as if there are problems to sort out. While the Bears ranked second in rushing yards, the passing offense wasn’t nearly as effective. Here is where Chicago ranked in passing this season:
- Passing Yards: 3096 (27th)
- Passing TDs: 19 (23rd)
- Interceptions: 15 (T-10th-most)
- EPA/pass: -0.07 (24th)
There is a lot of uncertainty in Chicago as to whether they will stick with Justin Fields or potentially target another QB in the draft. The Bears have the No. 1 overall pick this spring because of last year’s trade with the Carolina Panthers, so players like Caleb Williams or Drake Maye could be in the mix for them.
Janocko likely will land on a new NFL staff at some point this spring. He turns 36 years old in April.
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Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.