It was only a matter of time:
Dolphins and Broncos now have requested HC interviews with Bears’ defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, per league source. They are not expected to be the only interested teams in Fangio. He can’t interview this week with Bears prepping for Eagles.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 31, 2018
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports the Miami Dolphins and Denver Broncos have already requested interviews with the Chicago Bears’ Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio for their respective head coaching positions. As Schefter points out, Fangio cannot interview with anyone this week, because he’s coaching in an opening-round playoff game. The earliest Fangio can meet with teams is after the Bears wrap up Wild-Card Weekend with their game against the Eagles. But still … it’s evident that Fangio’s time to strike on a head-coaching opportunity is now. More teams will come calling to pick the brain of one of the NFL’s best defensive-minded coaches, so we might as well get used to this as the new normal.
Whenever the time comes for Fangio to go through the interview process elsewhere, at least we know he’ll be prepared for what comes his way. Remember, the Bears made Fangio their first interview for the position after they fired John Fox after the 2017 season ended.
Considering Fangio’s lengthy résumé (we touched upon the highlights here) and the Bears’ dominance on the defensive side of the ball, it wasn’t a matter of when he was going to get interest from teams. Instead, it’s about how many teams will inquire about Fangio as a head-coaching candidate.
Losing Fangio to another team would certainly stink. Fangio was the key cog in rebuilding a defense that was left for dead after two years under Mel Tucker. Even though Fangio could have skipped town via free agency last January, he signed a new deal that allowed him to see the rebuild through to what was a remarkable 2018 season that finished with the Bears as the NFL’s top defense. But soon, a new challenge could await elsewhere.