Vic Fangio declined multiple offers to be DC, will take year off?

When Vic Fangio was fired as head coach of the Broncos, it was assumed he would largely have his pick of opening defensive coordinator positions around the league. He ultimately did not land in a job, but it appears now that that was by choice.

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Fangio received several offers to fill a coordinator role after his departure from Denver, but declined them all and will take the year off instead. At 63, Fangio does not reportedly have his eyes on retirement, as Schefter reports he will look to return as a prime candidate for available jobs next offseason.

Fangio, who is widely believed to be one of the best defensive minds in the NFL, was the Broncos' head coach for three seasons after being hired in 2019. It was his first head coaching gig after serving more than 30 years as an assistant coach in the league.

His career began in the high school ranks, and after a few years he became a grad assistant at North Carolina. In 1984, he became a defensive assistant for the Philadelphia/Baltimore Stars of the USFL, where he would stay for two seasons.

Fangio broke into the NFL in 1986, when he took the role of linebackers coach for the Saints. He held that position for seven years before jumping to the Panthers in 1995 to be their defensive coordinator, the first person to hold the position for the team shortly after its founding.

In 1999, Fangio left Carolina for Indianapolis. He was the Colts' defensive coordinator for three years before jumping to the Texans, for whom he'd serve as defensive coordinator for the next four seasons. In 2006, he was hired by the Ravens as a defensive assistant and special assistant to the head coach, a role he would hold for three years before becoming Baltimore's linebackers coach in 2009.

He left the NFL briefly in 2010 to serve as the linebackers coach at Stanford, but could stay away from the pros for only so long. By 2011 he had jumped back into the league with the 49ers, who were led by Fangio's boss at Stanford, Jim Harbaugh.

Fangio is credited with being the architect of the dominant 49ers defense that led the league in turnovers and got them to a Super Bowl in 2012. He stuck in San Francisco through the entirety of Harbaugh's tenure, leaving in 2015 for the Bears once Harbaugh had been fired.

The Chicago defense experienced similar success under Fangio, as by the 2018 season it led the league in turnovers and carried the Bears to a playoff berth. Fangio received the Assistant Coach of the Year Award that year, and naturally drummed up significant interest in his capabilities as a coach -- leading the Broncos to hire him to lead their franchise.

Over three seasons in Denver, Fangio's Broncos went 19-30 and failed to reach the playoffs. They went 7-9 and finished second in the AFC West in his first year, but came in last place in the following two seasons before he was fired after the season.