NEWSLETTER
The hottest free agent to hit the market this offseason might be someone who didn’t play a single down in 2017 and won’t play one in 2018 either.
Vic Fangio’s three-year deal with the Chicago Bears comes to an end when the season wraps up and the competition for his services will only heat up from there – even if his current employer isn’t involved in the bidding.
And for what it’s worth, Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times reports Fangio already turned down an extension in the offseason.
There will be no shortage of suitors for Fangio this offseason. The line probably starts behind Kyle Shanahan, the 49ers head coach who wanted to bring him on board in the offseason but was blocked by the Bears from speaking with him regarding a return to San Francisco. Shanahan confirmed his interest in Fangio to reporters in a conference call, but noted: “Vic was under contract and I wasn’t allowed to get him.” Fangio acknowledged San Francisco’s interest, according to Finley, though it never materialized into anything more because of his contract status. Remember, NFL teams can keep other teams from interviewing their employees if a promotion is not in order.
And while a promotion doesn’t in line for Fangio this season, there will be no stopping an interview once Chicago’s year wraps up.
When reports of the Bears front office putting together a list of candidates to replace John Fox surfaced earlier in the week, Fangio was not on it. Further, the original report from Greg Gabriel suggested the Bears wouldn’t even consider Fangio on an interim basis if the team decided to cut ties with Fox before the end of the season. That report came days after Gabriel suggested Fangio should replace Fox after the Bears’ embarrassing loss against the Philadelphia Eagles in a piece at CBS Chicago.
On the surface, it seems as if the Bears’ priority in finding their next coach (when that time comes) will be in landing someone who can aid in the development of quarterback Mitch Trubisky with some hands-on attention. Fangio doesn’t fit the bill in that regard, but there’s no denying what he has done to shape a defense that was the worst in the league under Mel Tucker during the two years of Marc Trestman’s tenure.
