Vic Fangio Mulling Retirement As Eagles Lobby To Keep Him

PHILADELPHIA - The Philadelphia Eagles have tentatively convinced legendary defensive coordinator Vic Fangio to stay for another season.

According to Jimmy Kempski of PhillyVoice.com, the game’s top defensive mind did inform the team that he was retiring from coaching before being successfully lobbied to return for the 2026 campaign.

There has been no confirmation of Fangio’s intent to return yet so there remains the possibility of a 180 and that the 40-year veteran coach could change his mind, however.

The idea from the Eagles’ side is to do everything it can to convince Fangio to stay for at least one more season.

Fangio will turn 68 in training camp this August if he does return.

When Fangio arrived for the 2024 season, Philadelphia’s brass understood that the shelf life of his tenure was always going to be somewhat limited.

Meanwhile, Fangio had already contemplated walking away on top after Super Bowl LIX, starting at the team’s victory party after the blowout win over Kansas City when he intimated to several coaches he was at least leaning toward walking away.

The Cost Of Uncertainty

Eagles secondary coach Christian Parker | John McMullen/Eagles SI

The Eagles lost a potential Fangio in-house replacement when former defensive backs coach Christian Parker left to become the defensive coordinator in Dallas.

In a perfect world, you'd like to have certainty sooner and the option to retain Parker, but Fangio is on the “earned-the-right” timetable to take as long as he needs to make sure he wants to go through the grind of another NFL season.

Meanwhile, a young, ascending coach like Parker couldn’t leave the Cowboys' opportunity on the table for a “maybe.”

With Parker in North Texas, the most likely heir-apparent in-house in defensive line coach Clint Hurtt, who interviewed for the defensive coordinator position in Miami this offseason and ran the Seattle defense from 2022-2023. Hurtt is also fresh off serving as a head coach in The Senior Bowl.

Perhaps even more interesting than the uncertainty around Fangio is the outside names the Eagles were mulling for a replacement, according to Kempski.

Two high-profile coaches bandied about were recent Philadelphia coordinators Jonathan Gannon and Jim Schwartz.

Gannon, the former head coach in Arizona, who put together a Super Bowl LVII Philadelphia defense that finished second in the NFL while compiling 70 sacks, has since taken over the defensive side in Green Bay as the replacement for Jeff Hafley.

The perception is that Gannon’s tenure ended poorly here with his exit plan to the Cardinals handed sloppily, costing the Eagles a chance to get Fangio at the time.

In reality, it was just a timing issue, and there no bad blood with Gannon exists from the Philadelphia decision-makers.

Schwartz also did a great job with the Eagles as Doug Pederson’s DC, and is reportedly unhappy in Cleveland after being passed over for the head-coaching job there in favor of the offensive-minded Todd Monken.

Gannon runs a similar defensive scheme as Fangio, albeit the more aggressive Dave Aranda take on Fangio’s foundation of multiple fronts, which leans to more simulated pressures.

Schwartz is the more traditional four-man front DC whose defensive line is the “engine" of his defense.

A Schwartz nod would have also increased the chatter of trying to get Myles Garrett out of Cleveland again.

Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni has already made several coaching changes on the offensive side of the football after stripping Kevin Patullo of offensive coordinator and play-calling responsibilities.

The Eagles hired former Green Bay quarterbacks coach Sean Mannion as Patullo’s replacement with former Tampa Bay OC Josh Grizzard brought on as pass game coordinator.

More changes to the offensive staff are also expected.

MORE NFL: Eagles' Sean Mannion Weaponized Playing Career With Coaching In Mind