The Denver Broncos have just one game remaining on their 2021 season slate. Right now, it seems like this game will be Vic Fangio’s last in Denver.
The Denver Broncos have just one game remaining in the 2021 season, and it could very well wind up being Vic Fangio’s final game as the team’s head coach.
The Broncos hired Fangio ahead of the 2019 season and while Fangio has brought his defensive expertise to the Mile High City, the team has simply not had the kind of success or made the necessary progress in the last three years to justify keeping him beyond this year.
With that being said, his future remains truly up in the air heading into the team’s season finale against the Kansas City Chiefs, a home game obviously with no playoff implications.
Broncos media seems to think Vic Fangio is on his way out
Those with the closest pulse on things in the Denver media have sort of started coming out talking about the sense they have been getting regarding this team’s future at the head coach position, starting with Vic Fangio’s fate beyond this game.
I predict he will not be back. https://t.co/8eAuGj32Lh
— Benjamin Allbright (@AllbrightNFL) January 6, 2022
“The sense I get is that I’d be surprised if Vic (Fangio) survives this.” — @mikeklis, to @dmac1043 and @Tyler_Polumbus on @1043TheFan
— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) January 7, 2022
National reporters Adam Schefter of ESPN and Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network both have shared the sentiment that the Broncos like Vic Fangio, but they also believe his status to be up in the air.
The general consensus seems to be that the Broncos and general manager George Paton do like Fangio, but at this point, it’s incredibly difficult to justify bringing him back for a fourth season.
The primary argument in Fangio’s favor is that the Broncos tried to roll with a young quarterback in 2020, perhaps even against Fangio’s wishes. Remember, Fangio wanted Joe Flacco in 2019 and Teddy Bridgewater in 2021.
Based on those two decisions alone, you could justify moving on from Fangio after this season, but the Broncos have been horrendous against their divisional opponents over the last three years, they haven’t beaten the Chiefs under Fangio, and they have also been irrelevant the majority of the last three seasons when it comes to the playoffs.
As of right now, it feels like the Broncos should have made a decision one way or the other regarding Fangio’s future. The game against the Chiefs means nothing in the grand scheme of things and Fangio’s body of work at this point is what should be considered.
Things always move quickly on the coaching front after the NFL regular season. There is no question that the Broncos would be an attractive job to prospective coaches, even given the fact that the team doesn’t currently have an owner.
Even without an owner, the Broncos have one of the most respected executives in the NFL in general manager George Paton, and the team has proven in recent years that it is willing to tap into every available resource in order to improve the team.
In addition to head coach, quarterback will obviously be one of the team’s highest priorities in the 2021 offseason.
For what it’s worth, Fangio won’t have too long to be disappointed. He’ll probably be getting calls about becoming another team’s defensive coordinator immediately after this news officially breaks if indeed the Broncos have decided to move on.
5 Denver Broncos players who could follow Vic Fangio if he’s let go
The Denver Broncos have a number of key free agents on the defensive side of the ball. If Vic Fangio is let go, who could follow him to his next spot?
We may not have to wait too long to find out the fate and future of Vic Fangio. The Broncos play the Chiefs on Saturday, and the news could be reported shortly thereafter.