Sunday delivered massive news for the Miami Dolphins. NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero reported that the Dolphins struck a deal with Vic Fangio to be the team’s next defensive coordinator. But on Monday morning, a huge update was revealed in what could become an ongoing saga.
As it turns out, Fangio told veteran NFL reporter Michael Silver that he has not decided on anything yet. Silver tweeted the details on Monday morning, along with a massive update and implication. “For what it’s worth, Vic Fangio told me late last night, ‘Nothing has been decided on my end,’ Silver tweeted. “There is a huge amount of mutual respect between Kyle Shanahan and Fangio, a highly successful Niners DC under Jim Harbaugh. And it appears the 49ers will have an opening soon.”
For what it's worth, Vic Fangio told me late last night, "Nothing has been decided on my end." There is a huge amount of mutual respect between Kyle Shanahan and Fangio, a highly successful Niners DC under Jim Harbaugh. And it appears the 49ers will have an opening soon.
— Michael Silver (@MikeSilver) January 30, 2023
Fangio emerged as a top defensive mind in his first stint with the 49ers. He served as defensive coordinator from 2011-2014. During that period, the 49ers went to three consecutive NFC Championship Games and reached the Super Bowl in 2012. That was, up until recently, the most dominant stretch the 49ers had since the early 1990s.
So this counter of Pelissero’s report does two things: 1, it casts doubt on Fangio with the Dolphins. 2, it suggested that Fangio could replace outgoing coordinator DeMeco Ryans, who appears poised to take the Houston Texans head coaching job. Should that happen, that would be a huge coup for the 49ers, and not so much the ‘Phins.
About Chris Novak
Chris Novak has been talking and writing about sports ever since he can remember. Previously, Novak wrote for and managed sites in the SB Nation network for nearly a decade from 2013-2022