Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said he ‘wasn’t close’ to retiring and may coach beyond 2026
“I’m good for two years, at least,” Fangio said Thursday.
The seasons come and the seasons go, and when you’re 67 turning 68 before the next season begins, “your birth certificate tells you you should think about it,” Vic Fangio said Thursday when asked how close he was to retiring this offseason.
The defensive coordinator said he’s at least thought about retiring after the last few seasons. He contemplated it when he finally reached the mountaintop and won a Super Bowl after the 2024 season. He even thought about it a year prior, before joining the Eagles.
This time, Fangio said Thursday, “was no different.”
“I wasn’t close,” he said.
Fangio has indicated in the past that this job with the Eagles, the one that brought him back to his native Pennsylvania, likely will be his last. But the end, he said, isn’t as close as it appeared.
“I’m good for two years, at least,” he said.
Fangio said he told his defense recently that his recent physical exam had doctors telling him that he was “reverse aging.”
“I told them you guys are stuck with me for a while, a long while,” he said.
What keeps him coming back after all these years? His first NFL job was 40 years ago.
“I still like doing it,” Fangio said. “I like the group of guys we have; I like working with them. I still like the challenge of the job, work for a good organization. It’s just something that you’ll always think about at the end of the year.”
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The end of last season probably left a sour taste. The defense, which dealt with a few key injuries, was up and down at times, and while the offense mostly was to blame for the team’s demise, Fangio thought his unit could have played better in some games. The Eagles allowed 6.2 yards per play in their playoff loss to the 49ers. San Francisco was 6-for-11 on third downs and exposed the Eagles on a trick play.
After another season, it was time to think about the future.
“I do, and then I’m always back,” Fangio said. “And I’m back.”
Birdseed
Fangio said linebacker Jihaad Campbell, who is recovering from a shoulder injury, may or may not participate in OTAs but “he’ll be ready” for training camp. … Speaking of shoulders, Fangio said Jalen Carter’s shoulders are healthy. Carter, Fangio said, is “in a better spot now than he was.” … When it comes to Uar Bernard, the first-time football player the Eagles selected in the seventh round, Fangio said “patience will need to be a virtue, both on his part and ours.”
