Sliding Doors

The offseason is a time of change. Most of those are expected, like the Eagles hiring a new offensive coordinator. There are also some surprises, like the news that Vic Fangio seriously considered retiring.

Sources: Eagles considered Jim Schwartz and Jonathan Gannon for defensive coordinator job after Vic Fangio retirement scare https://t.co/cCl7ZbcmfI

— Jimmy Kempski (@JimmyKempski) February 1, 2026

Scare is the perfect word.

Apparently Fangio told the team he was going to retire. Someone then talked him out of it. For now. Nothing is officially official yet. Fangio, age 67, has had a long, distinguished career. Pro football has a long, grinding season. It isn’t hard to believe Fangio would feel burned out at the end. This also isn’t the first time he’s considered retirement.

Vic Fangio has been talking about retirement since before the end of the season, but the #Eagles had yet to receive a final decision either way as of recently.

“He keeps talking retirement, but he did the same last year,” a team source said last week. The 67-year-old defensive… https://t.co/5YyBrY0IIR

— Jeff McLane (@Jeff_McLane) February 1, 2026

I’m guessing Fangio will stick around this season. That’s the good news. The bad news is that this very well could be his final season. The Eagles will have to start thinking about the future right away. They can pursue someone next offseason. They will have some in-house candidates to consider. They also could hire someone now to spend the year learning from Fangio and getting ready for the future. We’ll see if anything happens.

The Eagles reaching out to Jonathan Gannon and Jim Schwartz about this season is interesting. Gannon has a history here and runs a similar system to Fangio. As frustrating as it would be to have Gannon back, there is some logic. Schwartz helped the Eagles win SB LII and has done a great job with the Browns since leaving Philly. His scheme is different, but he’s a proven coach who knows how to make things work. With Fangio probably staying, Gannon and Schwartz will likely be elsewhere.

Fangio has had a great career. He deserves to retire to a life of watching the Phillies and making meatballs. I just hope he puts that off for a year or two.

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DL coach Clint Hurtt interviewed with the Dolphins about their open DC role. Luckily that has been filled by someone else (Sean Duggan).

Hurtt could be an internal candidate for the Eagles next season. He’s done an excellent job with the DL and has experience as a DC.

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Meanwhile, expect some changes to the #Eagles’ offensive coaching staff. New OC Sean Mannion met with position coaches on Friday and is huddling with Nick Sirianni on which to retain. The team wants to give Mannion some of his own guys to help him. Expect a blend of old and new.

— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) February 1, 2026

More changes to the offensive staff sounds like a good thing. As dysfunctional as the offense was this year, I wouldn’t want anyone feeling too safe. The lack of player development in some areas is an issue. It also doesn’t feel like the positional coaches are all getting the most out of their guys. It just might be time for a change for some of them.

It also makes sense to give Sean Mannion a chance to hire some coaches that he’s familiar with and who can help implement his system. Speaking of Mannion, here is Shawn Syed breaking down some practice tape to help give you a feel for what his offense could look like in its most basic form.

I went through all of new Eagles offensive coordinator Sean Mannion’s practice film as an OC during the East-West Shrine Bowl to see what foundational approaches he may bring to Philadelphia

Run game, layering concepts, pass game progressions, screens, and more ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/gonXQscpTY

— Shawn Syed (@SyedSchemes) January 31, 2026

That’s hardly anything definitive, but is a good primer on some of what to expect. Worth your five minutes.

Besides, what else are you going to watch? Pro Bowl coverage?

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