The Bears have fired offensive coordinator Luke Getsy and quarterback coach Andrew Janocko.
The news was first reported by the NFL Network on Wednesday morning. The move is likely an indication that head coach Matt Eberflus will return in 2024. But Eberflus will be making changes to his offensive staff. The Bears defense made great strides under Eberflus this year, but the offense lagged behind.
Getsy has led the Bears offense for two seasons, joining the organization in early 2022 after the team hired Eberflus and general manager Ryan Poles. He had spent much of the previous decade as an assistant coach in Green Bay. He was the quarterback coach for Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay when Rodgers won MVP awards in 2020 and 2021.
Eberflus brought him to the Bears with the hopes of building an offense around quarterback Justin Fields. The results over the past two seasons have been mixed. Fields had a much better season in 2023 season than he did in 2022, but the passing game still ranked near the bottom of the league.
Janocko worked hand-in-hand with Getsy and directly with Fields during the past two seasons. He had previously been a QB coach with the Vikings.
Getsy’s offense had much success on the ground, ranking No. 2 in rushing this season. The offensive line seemed to find its groove late in the season. But the passing game still lacked punch. The Bears ultimately ranked 27th in passing this season.
“We’re at the bottom third of the league,” Eberflus said after Sunday’s loss to Green Bay. “So obviously that needs to improve.”
We’re at the bottom third of the league. So obviously that needs to improve.”
— Matt Eberflus, Bears head coach
Where the Bears go from here is anybody’s guess. It’s unclear if the Bears will be looking to bring in a new coordinator to take Fields’ game to the next level, or to be a mentor for a rookie quarterback if the Bears select one with the No. 1 overall draft pick in April.
Changing the coordinator doesn’t necessarily mean that the Bears will be keeping Fields or moving on from Fields. But it does mean that the Bears will be looking for both an offensive and defensive coordinator in the next few weeks. Bears defensive coordinator Alan Williams resigned just two weeks into the season.
Eberflus has praised the Kyle Shanahan-style wide-zone offense and brought Getsy here to try to replicate it. The Bears could look to go in another direction, though, with his offensive scheme.