Vic Fangio says he's "happy" as Eagles' defensive coordinator, has no desire to be head coach again
Vic Fangio is a football lifer. The 66-year-old Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator has been coaching football since 1979 in various roles at the high school, college and professional level.
From 2019-2021, Fangio was the head coach of the Denver Broncos — the first time in his career he held the position. But, he has no desire to become the head coach of an NFL team again amid another coaching cycle where six teams are looking to fill their vacancies.
"No, I'm happy to be here right now," Fangio said on Tuesday during a news conference when asked if he's interested in taking another stab as a head coach.
Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore has gotten interview requests from the New Orleans Saints and Jacksonville Jaguars to fill their head coaching vacancies, but Fangio doesn't want to change jobs again. Fangio consulted for the Eagles during their Super Bowl run during the 2022 season and hinted that he likely would've been the defensive coordinator last season if not for Jonathan Gannon's delayed departure as the Arizona Cardinals head coach.
The Dunmore, Pennsylvania, native who attended East Stroudsburg University isn't far from his hometown, which is roughly a two-hour drive from Philly. Plus, he's an avid Phillies fan who gets to work across the street from Citizens Bank Park and catch games during the offseason.
Instead, Fangio will likely finish his football career as Philadelphia's defensive coordinator, but the job this season is far from finished for an Eagles team with Super Bowl aspirations. The goal of hoisting the Lombardi trophy at the end of the season will continue on Sunday against the No. 7 seed Green Bay Packers in the wild-card round of the playoffs at Lincoln Financial Field.
On Tuesday, Fangio praised Packers head coach Matt LaFleur for his play calling and feel for the game. He also highlighted the tough matchup Josh Jacobs and Green Bay's running game pose for the Eagles.
"Well, they have got a really good line to begin with," Fangio said. "I think their 5-0 linemen have been in there for every play I think, No. 1. No. 2, they have a great back. Jacobs has had as good a year as anybody, and he's hard to tackle. Runs physical. And they have the play pass game off of it. So they have really good big play receivers that you're always worried about, and the combination of them being able to throw it down the field and run it is a tough combination."
The Packers will be without Christian Watson, the team's top deep threat, due to a torn ACL on Sunday, but they have a deep group of skill position players that will pose challenges for Philadelphia.
Besides Watson, the Packers had four other players with at least 400 receiving yards, including wide receivers Jayden Reed, Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks and tight end Tucker Kraft.
Packers quarterback Jordan Love suffered an elbow injury in the regular season finale against the Chicago Bears on Sunday and didn't finish the game, but he's expected to play against the Eagles.
"He's got a big arm," Fangio said of Love. "He can throw it to all parts of the field with accuracy and touch. He's got good movement in the pocket. He's elusive. And he really fits their offense. That offense needs a guy that can throw it down the field. He can do that. They need a guy that can scramble a little bit and be elusive. He can do that. He's a perfect fit for their offense."
Sunday's matchup against Green Bay will be a rematch of the season opener in Brazil, where the Eagles defeated the Packers 34-29.
Fangio said he'll go back and watch film from the game, but both teams have evolved so much since Week 1.
In that game, the Eagles were without rookie slot cornerback Cooper DeJean, who has become a key chess piece in Fangio's defense.
DeJean and fellow rookie cornerback Quinyon Mitchell have each played major roles for a defense that ranked No. 1 in the NFL in the 2024 season.
Fangio said he's been impressed with Mitchell and DeJean all season and believes the two are ready for the big stage of the NFL playoffs.
"I think they are ready," Fangio said. "They have played in a lot of big games this season against a lot of the quality opponents, and I think they will be ready."
