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Michigan State Football Loses Assistant Coach to NFL
Quarterbacks coach Mike Bajakian departs for Cleveland Browns job
Feb. 1, 2026 at 3:55pm
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Michigan State football is losing assistant coach Mike Bajakian, who is expected to take a job coaching quarterbacks with the Cleveland Browns. Bajakian had just signed a two-year contract with the Spartans in January, but the contract allowed him to leave for a primary on-field assistant position in the NFL without a buyout.
Why it matters
This is an early setback for new Michigan State head coach Pat Fitzgerald, who is trying to rebuild the Spartans' football program. Bajakian was an experienced offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach who had worked with the new Cleveland coach previously.
The details
Bajakian, who has three decades of coaching experience in college and the NFL, previously served as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at UMass last season. He also worked as offensive coordinator under Fitzgerald at Northwestern. Bajakian's two-year contract with Michigan State was set to pay him $375,000 this season with a raise to $400,000 the following year, but the contract allowed him to leave for a primary on-field NFL assistant job without a buyout.
- Bajakian signed a two-year contract with Michigan State on January 1, 2026.
- Bajakian is expected to take the quarterbacks coach job with the Cleveland Browns in the coming days.
The players
Mike Bajakian
Experienced offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach who has worked in both college and the NFL, including previously with the new Cleveland Browns head coach.
Pat Fitzgerald
New head football coach at Michigan State University, taking over a program that went 9-15 over the previous two seasons.
Todd Monken
New head coach of the Cleveland Browns, who previously worked with Bajakian in Tampa Bay.
What’s next
Fitzgerald will now need to find a replacement for Bajakian on his offensive coaching staff as he looks to turn around the Michigan State football program.
The takeaway
This early staff change is an unwelcome distraction for Fitzgerald as he tries to rebuild the Spartans, but the contract language allowing Bajakian to leave for an NFL job without a buyout suggests Michigan State was prepared for the possibility of losing him to the professional ranks.
