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Vic Fangio Says He 'Absolutely' Deserves to Remain Broncos Head Coach for 2022 Season
December 27, 2021
Denver Broncos head coach Vic Fangio told reporters Monday that he believes he and his staff deserve to return in 2022 and that he would be fine coaching in the last season of his four-year contract without an extension.
“Absolutely. That’s the direct, short answer there, absolutely," Fangio said, per Mike Klis of 9News.
The Broncos have gone just 19-28 in three seasons under Fangio, who previously worked as the San Francisco 49ers and Chicago Bears' defensive coordinator before Denver hired him in the 2019 offseason.
This year's team is still alive in the AFC playoff picture, but at 7-8, Denver needs to win out and get a lot of help to finish with a postseason berth.
Denver's scoring defense is No. 1 in the league, but the team is just 23rd in scoring despite a talented skill position group that includes running back Javonte Williams and wideouts Jerry Jeudy and Courtland Sutton, among others.
It's certainly possible that this year could mark Fangio's last after what could be three straight losing campaigns, but the Broncos head coach said he isn't worried about his job security at the moment, per Ryan O'Halloran of the Denver Post.
"I don’t (worry about it) and I know you think that’s a standard answer, but for a lot of reasons, I do not worry about it and those reasons are personal to me. Do I acknowledge that it’s certainly out there and (being fired) could happen? Absolutely. Do I worry about it? I absolutely don’t worry about it for many reasons."
Broncos president/CEO Joe Ellis and general manager George Paton have not made a decision on the future of the team's coaching staff yet, per Klis.
Denver hasn't made the playoffs since its Super Bowl-winning 2015 campaign, but there is reason to be optimistic about the Broncos' future.
For starters, Paton nailed the 2021 draft, as Denver brought in Williams, cornerback Patrick Surtain II, offensive lineman Quinn Meinerz and a potential seventh-round gem in Jonathon Cooper, among others.
Denver is also been snakebit in one-score games, going 1-4 this year. A win or two more in those contest would have put the Broncos in a much better position to make the playoffs.
Despite the losing record, the Broncos also have a plus-38 scoring differential, which is 13th in the league. They also have one of the more impressive wins on any team's resume this year when they went to Dallas and led the now 11-4 Cowboys 30-0 before the 30-16 victory.
Ultimately, there are enough positives for the Broncos to bring Fangio back for at least one more season and see how things go in 2022 before deciding on his staff's future fate.
For now, Denver will hope to keep its season alive when it hits the road to face the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday.