Ousted from his three-year gig as Broncos head coach, Vic Fangio said earlier this offseason he would take the 2022 season off. But the longtime NFL defensive coordinator is keeping the door open to a return down the line.
Fangio interviewed for the Jaguars’ HC job in January — a job that went to Doug Pederson, who took the 2021 season off — but was not connected to other top gigs during an offseason that featured 10 HC changes. Prior to Fangio’s Denver role, he resided as one of the NFL’s premier defensive coordinators. A return to the league would likely be in a DC post.
“We’ll see where things stand and develop and what’s available to see if I’m a good match for somebody, but it’s definitely a possibility — probably as a coordinator,” Fangio said of a coaching return, per Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press (on Twitter).
Not unlike Mike Zimmer becoming a head coach at nearly 60, Fangio, 63, did not see his DC chops lead to a top sideline position until 2019. The Broncos’ quarterback problems and injury issues — particularly at edge rusher, where Von Miller and Bradley Chubb barely played together during three Fangio seasons — largely undercut Fangio’s defenses. Denver still ranked as a top-10 scoring defense twice during Fangio’s tenure (in 2019 and ’21), although DVOA was less bullish on those teams’ defensive capabilities.
Nevertheless, Fangio’s defensive blueprints are all over the league currently. It would seemingly not be difficult for him to land another DC gig in 2023. Such a job would be his sixth in that position. A pro assistant dating back to USFL 1.0 in the mid-1980s, Fangio — after a successful run guiding Pro Bowler-laden Saints linebacking units — has worked as a coordinator for the Panthers, Colts, Texans, 49ers and Bears. The latter two stops, respectively, produced three straight NFC championship game berths, a Super Bowl XLVII appearance and an Assistant Coach of the Year nod in 2018.
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