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Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio.
On a day in which the Philadelphia Eagles already said goodbye to one legendary assistant coach in Jeff Stoutland and in an offseason more defined by who has left and who the Eagles couldn’t hire, they can finally count a win.
The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane reported on Wednesday that the Eagles will retain 67-year-old defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, who was contemplating retirement following a 23-19 loss to the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Wild Card Round.
“More Eagles news: Vic Fangio will remain defensive coordinator moving forward, per NFL sources,” McLane wrote on his official X account. “After contemplating retirement, the 67-year old will return for his third season at the helm of the Eagles defense.”
The Eagles have had one of the NFL’s elite defenses with Fangio over the last 2 seasons, including one of the very best of all time in 2024 when they rolled to a 40-22 win over the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX.
“Typically, if someone is 67 and on the cusp of retirement, I’d let them go without much lobbying, especially when you had/have in-house options like Christian Parker and Clint Hurtt,” Sports Illustrated’s John McMullen wrote while Fangio was still contemplating retirement. “But, Vic Fangio is so far ahead of No. 2 in this league when it comes to defensive minds, I’d hold onto him as long as possible and live with the consequences when they arrive.”
Eagles Fired Offensive Coordinator After Season
If Fangio was truly contemplating retirement, it’s likely because he had to watch the Eagles try and play offense this year — a mind-numbing, soul-crushing endeavor if there ever was one.
While the Eagles defense seemed to improve every week — and with a largely new cast of characters — the offense seemed stuck in first gear from Week 1.
It led to the firing of offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo and ultimately to the exit of Stoutland, who was widely thought of as the NFL’s best position coach.
The Eagles hired Green Bay Packers assistant coach and former NFL quarterback Sean Mannion to take over for Patullo.
“Once again, Vic Fangio has saved my will to live,” Eagles superfan I Courtney Cries wrote on X.
Eagles Likely Would Have Turned to Schwartz
Had Fangio indeed decided to retire, the Eagles would have likely turned to Jim Schwartz after he was passed over for the Cleveland Browns head coaching job in favor of Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken.
While Schwartz would be a serviceable replacement, the truth is Fangio has made himself downright irreplaceable at times.
“According to multiple sources, the Philadelphia Eagles got a big scare recently when legendary defensive coordinator Vic Fangio informed the team that he was retiring from coaching in the NFL,” Philly Voice’s Jimmy Kempski wrote on Sunday. “However, sources said that Fangio was convinced by the team’s brass to stay for at least one more season in 2026 … In the interim between Fangio’s short-lived retirement and his ‘for now’ decision to return, a source said that the Eagles reached out to former Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon to gauge his interest in returning to the team should Fangio retire. The Eagles were also at least planning to check on the availability of disgruntled Cleveland Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, who like Gannon was also formerly the Eagles’ defensive coordinator”
Tony Adame covers the NFL for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Washington Commanders, Dallas Cowboys, Baltimore Ravens, Philadelphia Eagles and Denver Broncos. A veteran sports writer and editor since 2004, his work has been featured at Stadium Talk, Yardbarker, NW Florida Daily News and Pensacola News Journal. More about Tony Adame
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