Here is a question for you. Who is the current quarterback coach of the Seattle Seahawks? I’ll give you a minute. My guess is you won’t get this answer entirely correct.
You see, at the dawn of the Super Bowl era, there was no such thing as a quarterback coach. Position groups – offensive line, defensive backs – may have required dedicated coaches because each was required to function as a unit. But players at the individual positions – quarterback and kicker – were mostly left on their own.
Of course, that has changed now. Talented quarterback coaches are in high demand. It has become the most common stepping stone on the way to offensive coordinator and then head coach.
Andrew Janocko may turn out to be the biggest missing piece for the Seattle Seahawks in 2026
Of the nine offensive-minded head coaches who took their teams to the postseason last year, eight of them did a stint as QB coach or Asst QB coach for an NFL team earlier in their career. (Sean McVay was so smart he didn't require that step.)
Before I tell you who the current Seahawks QB coach is, let me remind you that last year Andrew Janocko served in that capacity. Janocko was one of the names bandied about as a Klint Kubiak replacement this offseason.
But Janocko, who had arrived with Kubiak from New Orleans in 2025, followed his mentor to Las Vegas to assume the role of offensive coordinator with the Raiders. The Seahawks went outside the organization to hire Brian Fleury.
As Seattle’s offense has struggled early in 2026, a lot of attention has focused on Fleury and whether the first-time play-caller is up to the task. I want to suggest that we may be leaving Janocko out of this conversation.
When he was with Kubiak for one season in New Orleans, Janocko helped 33-year-old Derek Carr achieve the second-highest rating and third-highest QBR in his 11-year career. In his very first season as an NFL QB coach, Andrew Janocko helped his quarterback, Justin Fields, record his highest QBR, ahead of players like Tom Brady, Matthew Stafford, and Trevor Lawrence.
Yes. You read that right. Justin Fields had a higher QBR than Tom Brady.
It would be silly to ascribe all of that success to Andrew Janocko. QB coaches are layered. The success of their charges is dependent on many other factors. But we can look at trends, and Janocko’s trends suggest he helps his quarterbacks play their best football.
Sam Darnold is decidedly not playing his best football early in 2026. Can his quarterback coach help right the ship?
Back to that question. Who is the Seahawks’ QB coach this year?
It is Jake Peetz, a veteran coach who has served as pass game coordinator for Seattle since 2024. He kept that title this year while adding QB coach to his duties.
And it is also Tyson Prince, a young coach who was Janocko’s assistant last season. He was elevated to serve as co-QB coach this year.
I wouldn’t be surprised if an NFL team has employed co-QB coaches, but I can’t think of it ever happening. Plenty of teams have a primary and an assistant, as the Seahawks did last year. But co-coaches? That seems...what is the word...iffy?
I’ll admit this freely. I have no idea what goes on in the quarterback/quarterback coach relationship. I’m sure there are technical parts to the job, especially with a young QB who may need help with footwork or with working through progressions.
But I usually think about Babe Parilli when this comes up. Parilli was a professional QB himself for almost two decades. When his playing days were over, Chuck Noll brought him to Pittsburgh to help out with his brash young QB, Terry Bradshaw.
Parilli is generally seen as the first dedicated QB coach in league history. Their relationship led Bradshaw to four Super Bowls and eventual enshrinement in Canton.
Ask Bradshaw about Parilli. He doesn’t talk about technical matters. He talks about the way Parilli helped him through the rough parts of the job. How he encouraged him and kept him focused. And he talks about him with tremendous admiration.
A quarterback coach is as much a psychologist as a technician. And it sure looks like Sam Darnold needs some counselling right about now. Who is going to provide it? Fleury? Peetz? Prince? I’ll adapt an adage that says having co-QB coaches is the same as having no QB coaches. Someone has to get in Sam Darnold’s head and talk him back to where he was last year.
Unfortunately for Seattle, Andrew Janocko is no longer around to do that.
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