After the Philadelphia Eagles fired offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo shortly following their NFC Wild Card Round exit, there was much debate about how long it took them to fill that role and all the people who may or may not have turned down the job.
We now know, behind the scenes, the Eagles were dealing with a much more pressing and delicate issue — the decision by legendary defensive coordinator Vic Fangio to retire after 41 seasons as a coach before he ultimatley reversed course
“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,” Philly Voice’s Jimmy Kempski wrote on Sunday. “However, sources said that Fangio was convinced by the team’s brass to stay for at least one more season in 2026 … In the interim between Fangio’s short-lived retirement and his ‘for now’ decision to return, a source said that the Eagles reached out to former Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon to gauge his interest in returning to the team should Fangio retire. The Eagles were also at least planning to check on the availability of disgruntled Cleveland Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, who like Gannon was also formerly the Eagles’ defensive coordinator”
Gannon Fired by Cardinals After 3 Seasons
Bringing back Gannon, who was ultimately hired as defensive coordinator by the Green Bay Packers, may have rubbed some Eagles fans the wrong way.
Gannon was the defensive coordinator for the Eagles for 2 seasons, in 2021 and 2022, with a run to the Super Bowl following the 2022 season.
Gannon’s tenure with the Cardinals was tinged with controversy from the start — and may have even cost the Eagles a Super Bowl win over the Kansas City Chiefs following the 2022 season.
The Cardinals ended up having to pay a fine and swap third round draft picks with the Eagles — giving the Eagles the higher pick — after the Cardinals and Gannon were found to have negotiated during the one-week impermissible period for contact before the Super Bowl.
The Eagles lost to the Chiefs, 38-35, and it’s impossible not to speculate the slimmest of margins may have cost the Eagles. Say, for example, something missed when Gannon was negotiating his deal with the Cardinals instead of working on a game plan for the Super Bowl.
Gannon went 15-36 in 3 seasons with the Cardinals and was fired on January 6 after going 3-14 in his final season.
Fangio Might Be Impossible to Replace
There was a certain amount of eye-rolling that accompanied reports of Schwartz’s anger over being passed over for the Browns head coach job in favor of Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken — if only because Schwartz went 29-51 in 5 seasons as head coach of the Detroit Lions 2009 to 2013.
While Schwartz would be a serviceable replacement, the truth is Fangio would be almost impossible to replace as defensive coordinator.
“As Jimmy Kempski reports here, Vic Fangio’s return has been uncertain and sort of still is,” NFL Network’s Mike Garofolo wrote on X. “It’s been leaning to the positive recently but could change again. The Eagles haven’t confirmed or denied anything to this point.”
Report: Eagles Left Scrambling After Retirement Decision