Denver Broncos Hire Vic Fangio As Head Coach After Passing On Steelers OL Coach Mike Munchak

The Denver Broncos hired Vic Fangio as their new head coach on Wednesday. ESPN reported Fangio received a four-year contract with a team option for a fifth year.

Fangio Hired On Four-Year Deal

The Broncos, not lost in the offseason of Sean McVay prodigy, previously narrowed down the competition to the Chicago Bears defensive coordinator or Pittsburgh Steelers offensive line coach Mike Munchak.

Fangio has led Chicago’s defense since 2015. He took the defense from No. 31 and turned them into the top defense, and is the reason the team won the NFC North and almost reached the divisional round if not for the “double-doink” kick.

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The 60-year-old had interviewed for the Chicago head coaching job last season but lost it to Matt Nagy. Though Fangio has never had a head coaching job, he’s led multiple defensive turnarounds with the San Francisco 49ers, the New Orleans Saints and the Carolina Panthers.

Fangio is the first Bears defensive coordinator since Buddy Ryan to leave the franchise for a head coaching position. While Fangio doesn’t leave after a Super Bowl win like Ryan, he has set up a young defense that’s primed for a title run. Fangio first interviewed with the Chargers in 1997 for a head coaching job.

The Broncos finished this season with the 13th-ranked defense. However, Fangio will also have to fix the offense. Denver was ranked 24th in the league and has no long-term quarterback. This year’s Draft is notoriously lacking in quarterback prospects and the Broncos have the No. 10 pick.

Bruce Arians, the new Tampa Bay Buccaneers hire, was not considered for the Denver position. Arians had previously turned around the Arizona defense and had fixed a situation similar to Denver’s before stepping down last year.