More Former Vikings Coaches Secure Positions for 2024 Season
With the 2023 season officially in the books, the last phase of the NFL coaching cycle can officially take place.
Over the past couple of days, the Vikings have shuffled a few spots on their coaching staff, and now, more former Vikings coaches have secured positions with new teams for the 2024 season. Here is a look at three of them.
Former Vikings Coaches Land Jobs for 2024
Andrew Janocko
Andrew Janocko held various roles on the Vikings’ coaching staff from 2015-2021, including working with the offensive line, wide receivers, and quarterbacks. However, he was not retained by Minnesota in the transition from Mike Zimmer to Kevin O’Connell at head coach.
Instead, he opted to join the Chicago Bears in 2022 as the QBs coach where he has remained for the past two seasons, working with young quarterback Justin Fields. Now, though, Janocko is on the move to join another hated Vikings rival.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler tweeted Friday, “Saints are expected to hire Andrew Janocko as quarterbacks coach, per sources. Janocko has worked closely with Kirk Cousins and Justin Fields, now set to coach Derek Carr.”
The Saints offense struggled with consistency throughout the 2023 season in Derek Carr’s first season under center. They finished the season 9-8 as a result and narrowly missed out on the playoffs for the third consecutive year.
Ryan Ficken
The Los Angeles Chargers made the move to bring in Jim Harbaugh as Brandon Staley’s replacement at head coach this offseason. As a result, there has been some question as to how much of their current staff will be retained.
Ryan Ficken has been one of those assistant coaches on LA’s staff over the past two seasons after a 15-year stint with the Minnesota Vikings. During his time in Minnesota, Ficken largely dealt with the special teams and was the Vikings’ special teams coordinator in 2021. During that season, Kene Nwangwu returned 18 kicks for a total of 579 yards (32.2 yards per return) and a league-leading two kick return TDs.
It appears that Ficken will remain in LA for the 2024 season. Tom Pelissero of NFL Network tweeted on Saturday, “The #Chargers are retaining special teams coordinator Ryan Ficken, per source. No surprise after L.A. blocked him from interviewing elsewhere. So Jim Harbaugh’s coordinators are now set: OC Greg Roman, DC Jesse Minter and Ficken, who had @RickGosselin9’s 5th-ranked unit in 2023.”
The Chargers finished the 2023 season with a 5-12 record and currently hold the fifth overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Klint Kubiak
This has been assumed for awhile, but with the Super Bowl’s conclusion, it became official on Monday. Klint Kubiak will serve as the New Orleans Saints’ offensive coordinator in 2024, joining his former Vikings colleague, Janocko.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Network tweeted on Monday morning, “The #Saints and #49ers passing game coordinator Klint Kubiak have reached a deal for Kubiak to be their new offensive coordinator, source says. The top target all along, Kubiak’s hire gives coach Dennis Allen a rising play-caller who was coveted by several other teams.”
Kubiak spent two separate stints with the Minnesota Vikings in 2013-2014 and 2019-2021. The latter stint concluded with Kubiak being promoted to offensive coordinator during the 2021 season, but he was not brought back after Mike Zimmer was fired following the conclusion of the campaign.
Editor’s Note: Statistics for this article were found via Pro Football Reference.
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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.