Vic Fangio to remain Eagles' defensive coordinator despite uncertainty

[ASFN Admin]

The Eagles' off-season of uncertainty continued on Wednesday, as offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland departed the organization after 13 years. It was a stunning decision that followed Stoutland's removal as running game coordinator. Philadelphia will work to find a replacement, but not everything was bad for the Birds. Jeff McLane reports that Vic Fangio will remain the Eagles' defensive coordinator, returning to Philadelphia for his third seasonfranchise.

The news of Fangio's return comes after some uncertainty about the legendary playcaller's future.

According to multiple sources, the Philadelphia Eagles got a big scare recently when legendary defensive coordinator Vic Fangio informed the team that he was retiring from coaching in the NFL. However, sources said that Fangio was convinced by the team's brass to stay for at least one more season in 2026.

For now, Fangio is back, though it should be noted that PhillyVoice reached out to an Eagles spokesperson to confirm that Fangio is still the team's defensive coordinator, and they declined to answer until further notice. As such, wiggle room exists for Fangio to change his mind again.

According to Kempski, the Eagles were so unsure about Fangio's future that the organization considered reaching out to former Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon to gauge his interest in returning to the team if Fangio retired. Gannon had been fired as the Arizona Cardinals' head coach earlier this offseason. Last week, Gannon was hired by the Green Bay Packers to be their new defensive coordinator.

Kempski reports that Philadelphia was at least planning to check on the availability of Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, who is unhappy about being passed over for the job in Cleveland and previously served as an Eagles coordinator.

The biggest question is why Philadelphia allowed Christian Parker to leave for Dallas as the Cowboys' defensive coordinator, given the significant uncertainty surrounding Fangio's future. The league unveiled the finalists for the NFL Honors, and Fangio is among three defensive coordinators and two offensive player-callers up for the NFL Assistant Coach of the Year. Fangio finished fourth in 2024 after his off-season addition prompted more padded, physical practices, which led to a 10-2 record and eight consecutive wins earlier this season. Fangio's presence helped the Eagles become the NFL's No. 1 defense, and the defensive coordinator was a finalist for the Assistant Coach of the Year award.

This season under Fangio, the Eagles limited opponents to the league's lowest completion percentage (56.8%), the best figure since 2008 (54.1%). Philadelphia gave up a league-low 14 passing TDs this year, which were the fewest surrendered by an Eagles defense since 2001 (13). Philadelphia held opponents to the 2nd-lowest passer rating (75.4) in the NFL (Eagles' best mark since 2008, when they allowed a 72.9 passer rating), behind the L.A. Chargers (75.0). The rating included a 58.1 mark on third/ fourth down and a 64.6 mark in the red zone – both 1st in the NFL.

Philadelphia ranked 5th in points allowed per game (19.1), trailing only Seattle (17.2), Houston (17.4), Denver (18.3), and New England (18.8).

This article originally appeared on Eagles Wire: Vic Fangio to remain Eagles' defensive coordinator

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