Vic Fangio in play for Broncos defensive coordinator position on Sean Payton staff

Feb 1, 2023 - 4:06 AM

What is old will become new again. A year after firing then-head coach Vic Fangio, the Denver Broncos could be making a move to hire Fangio as their new defensive coordinator. The Broncos are finalizing an agreement with the New Orleans Saints to allow the Broncos to hire Sean Payton as their new head coach, a move that could include Fangio as his top defensive assistant, according to KOA Radio in Colorado.

The potential move of Payton and Fangio to Denver would contradict a report from over the past weekend that had Fangio joining the Miami Dolphins as their new defensive coordinator. Miami is believed to still be in discussions with Fangio and is the top choice for head coach Mike McDaniel, but it appears the report indicating he was being hired was slightly premature.

After the initial report of Fangio joining the Dolphins, a subsequent report indicated that nothing had been signed, though the team and the coach were still working toward a deal. Now, it appears those discussions may have been delayed to see what would happen with Payton. Could Miami lose their top defensive coordinator candidate because the former Saints coach has decided to return to the sidelines after a year off?

Would the Broncos’ locker room welcome back Fangio? According to Mile High Report, “This could ruffle some feathers in the Broncos’ locker room, especially on the defensive side. There was some anti-Fangio talk coming from players, so his return would be awkward.”

This seems to be a fluid situation, and, right now, there does not seem to be any clarification on which way this could fall.