Dec 14, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio walks onto the field before the game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images Bill Streicher
Vic Fangio seems like the most likely person to be the defensive coordinator for the Eagles in 2026, but it doesn't appear the team is prepared to say with 100% certainty he's returning for a third year on the job.
In fact, Philly Voice's Jimmy Kempski dropped this bombshell Sunday:
"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."
NFL Media's Mike Garafolo chimed in on X, also noting that while things are in a better place now, it is still not set in stone that Fangio will be Sirianni's defensive coordinator next season.
As @JimmyKempski reports here, Vic Fangio’s return has been uncertain and sort of still is. It’s been leaning to the positive recently but could change again. The #Eagles haven’t confirmed or denied anything to this point. https://t.co/9WeHPRCs8E
It's a fascinating development, because as long as Fangio is the defensive coordinator, Sirianni and the Eagles really don't have to worry much about that side of the ball. That's especially valuable considering that it's been musical chairs at offensive coordinator under Sirianni, who has an offensive background but doesn't call plays on that side of the ball. The Eagles hope Sean Mannion will be more like Shane Steichen and Kellen Moore than Brian Johnson or Kevin Patullo, but they really don't know. Having similar uncertainty on the defensive side of the ball would make things much murkier for the Eagles heading into 2026.
At the same time, we assume football coaches never are going to walk away from the job, but Fangio is 67 years old. His defense led the Eagles to the Super Bowl title last season, which will likely be the highlight of the Dunmore, Pa. native's career. It's long been assumed that he'll be in this position for a number of years, but with no real prospects at ever getting another crack at being a head coach, Fangio may feel that he's accomplished all he can.
Of course, while the Eagles should absolutely give him the space he needs to, they hope, arrive at the decision to return for another year, the uncertainty leaves them in a tough spot. If Fangio decides he is going to retire, the options to replace him might be limited. Christian Parker — who had previously been the passing game coordinator and defensive backs coach under Fangio — was hired away to be the defensive coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys. Kempski says in his reporting that the Eagles reached out to Jonathan Gannon after he was fired by the Arizona Cardinals as their head coach as they tried to consider replacements for Fangio when it appeared he was retiring. Gannon has since been hired at Matt LaFleur's new defensive coordinator for the Green Bay Packers. Kempski added that the Eagles "were also at least planning to check on the availability of disgruntled Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz," who some believe could be available after Todd Monken was instead picked to be the next head coach in Cleveland. But Schwartz is still, for now, under contract with the Browns, and there's no saying even if Schwartz becomes available that he will want to return to Philadelphia, where he was the DC from 2016-2020. The San Francisco 49ers, for example, could also make a push for Schwartz to replace Robert Saleh as defensive coordinator.
Again, Jeffrey Lurie, Howie Roseman and Sirianni are trying to strike a delicate balance right now. They don't want to force Fangio to make a decision right this second, because maybe if he's not 100% in today, he'll choose to walk away. At the same time, it would seem they need a commitment from Fangio pretty soon.
