Ex-Broncos coach Vic Fangio says Philly is ‘probably’ his last stop

NEW ORLEANS — Vic Fangio is back in a familiar place. And that’s not just talking about New Orleans, where he coached for nine seasons to open his NFL career before becoming an NFL defensive coordinator for the first time in 1995.

Indeed, “familiar place” has multiple meanings.

One familiar place is with a top-flight NFL defense. His Philadelphia Eagles unit led the NFL in total defense and ranked second in scoring defense. In both categories, it’s the ninth time in his last 13 seasons as a coordinator or head coach that he’s had a top-10 ranking. He did both in Denver, with No. 3 scoring defense in 2021 and a top-10 unit in total defense in 2019.

Another iteration of “familiar place” is geography, working in Philadelphia. His first pro-football job was there, with the USFL’s Philadelphia Stars in 1984. He grew up roughly two hours away, in Scranton, Pa.

“I mean, I grew up a Philadelphia sports fan. Phillies, Eagles, Sixers, started my NFL pro career in Philadelphia with the USFL,” he said.

And as he observed, Philadelphia seems like a good place to end his career of four-plus decades.

At age 66, former Broncos head coach Vic Fangio acknowledges that Philadelphia will “probably” be his last stop in coaching. “Yeah, it’s the hours for six, seven months of the year, especially this year,” he said. pic.twitter.com/LkRrIyv1gS

— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) February 4, 2025

“It’s kind of come full circle,” he said.

If he were to leave after Super Bowl LIX, it would mean going out either on top — or close to it. An Eagles win would likely mean his defense played a massive part in containing quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who led the Chiefs to six wins in as many tries over the Fangio-led Broncos during his three seasons as head coach.

But Fangio isn’t looking at the moment. He added he would probably end his career “one of these years.” And as his recent results show, he remains among the game’s elite defensive minds.

“I still really like to do it. I think I’m still halfway decent at it,” he said. “But there will come a time where –”

A beat later, after being asked about the hours involved, Fangio elaborated.

“Yeah, it’s the hours for six, seven months of the year, especially this year,” he said. “But this last month is enjoyable, but, yeah, just the grind of it.

Fangio didn’t get a bite at the head-coaching apple until he was 61 years of age, taking the Broncos job in 2009 after a career that spanned 40 previous seasons through the high-school, college and professional ranks. Thirty-four of those seasons were in the pros, including 32 on NFL sidelines following a two-year hitch as a defensive assistant with the Philadelphia/Baltimore Stars of the original USFL.

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