Fullback Janovich signs three-year deal
Broncos fullback Andy Janovich, a former sixth-round pick who has developed into a reliable blocker and special teams player, signed a threeyear contract worth $5.7 million on Friday.
“We tried to work on it during training camp and then obviously I tore my (pectoral in the preseason) and it kind of stopped for a bit and picked up talks when I started playing again,” Janovich said. “(General manager) John (Elway) said, ‘Let’s do it by Friday,’ and I said, ‘All right, works for me.’”
The $1.9 million average puts Janovich third among fullbacks, behind San Francisco’s Kyle Juszczyk ($5.25 million) and Buffalo’s Patrick DiMarco ($2.1 million).
The Broncos’ offer made it easy for Janovich to sign now instead of waiting to see what his market would be as a free agent in March.
“I want to stay here,” Janovich said. “It’s one of the top five offers in the whole league (for fullbacks) so I think it would be silly for me to turn that down and be greedy and go to free agency and get a little bit more.”
Janovich missed the first three games this season because of injury and has played 28 snaps in two games. Using the fullback throughout the formation is emphasized by offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello.
“Jano is good at his position, (is the) great type of guy you want on your team and I’m glad we’re moving forward with him,” coach Vic Fangio said. “He’s a good fit (for the offense). He’s a good blocker. He can catch the ball when we need to call on him for that and he can play multiple positions.”
Janovich is also a core special teams player and is expected to continue in that role.
“Invaluable,” special teams coordinator Tom McMahon said. “His production is outstanding. He’s always the first guy in the room and the last guy to leave so you’ve got all these rookies emulating him. The best thing to say about Andy Janovich is that everybody in our (special teams) room wants to be Andy. I don’t know if you can give a bigger compliment than that.”
Janovich has appeared in 45 games for the Broncos (two rushing touchdowns) and has 12 rushing attempts and 17 receptions. His main duties will remain as a lead blocker in the running game.
“Having him back, it’s like night and day,” running back Phillip Lindsay said. “He makes a lot of things go in this offense and he’s a fixer.”
Janovich is the first member from the 2016 Broncos draft class to sign a second contract. Defensive end Adam Gotsis, safety Justin Simmons, running back Devontae Booker, center Connor McGovern and safety Will Parks are scheduled to become free agents in March.
Janovich said the preseason injury was “kind of heart-breaking,” because contract talks had started.
“Now that it’s happened, it’s a dream come true,” he said.
In a statement, Elway said: “Since he was drafted back in 2016, Andy has developed into one of the best fullbacks in the league. He’s exactly what you look for in a fullback—tough, reliable and a versatile part of not only the offense but also our special teams. It’s nice to see how Andy’s hard work has paid off, and we look forward to his continued impact on the Broncos.”