Say Goodbye: Vic Fangio is the Next Broncos Head Coach
After more than 30 years as an assistant coach, Vic Fangio finally gets the keys to the castle:
Denver reached agreement with Bears’ DC Vic Fangio to become the Broncos’ next head coach, sources tell me and @DanGrazianoESPN. It will be a four-year deal plus a team option for a fifth, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 9, 2019
ESPN’s tag team of Adam Schefter and Dan Graziano are reporting Fangio and the Broncos have come to terms on a four-year deal with a team option for the fifth season. Rumors emerged in November that Fangio was expected to get serious interest as a head-coaching candidate and heated up in December. He drew early interest from the Dolphins and Broncos, popped up as a most logical fit for Denver last week, conducted an interview with the Broncos on Monday, was revealed as a finalist for the position on Tuesday, and hired today. So while Fangio was a hot candidate this winter, it’s a long-time coming for the 60-year-old coach who is finally getting his first head-coaching opportunity at any level.
From a Bears perspective, we’re left with a bag of mixed emotions. Excited for Fangio because we like to see good assistants rewarded with head-coaching opportunities when they deserve them. But we’re also disappointed for a Bears defense that finally had continuity and turned it into greatness. And we’re still bummed that Fangio’s last game ended with a goal-line stand that wasn’t meant to be.
But hey, at least we’ll get to see Fangio next year when the Bears play the AFC West! (On second thought, I’m not all that excited about facing a Vic Fangio defense featuring Von Miller and Bradley Chubb rushing off the edge.)
Fangio’s departure leaves the Bears with an opening at defensive coordinator. Someone will get an opportunity to run with what Fangio has left behind and we’ll get to those candidates in short order. In short, this will be an enticing job for someone who wants to get their hands on a defense that craved pressuring the quarterback and coming away with takeaways. Chicago’s defense is young, talented, and hungry. The more accurate question here might be to ask who wouldn’t want this job?
