INDIANAPOLIS — Miami Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel insisted Tuesday that the team’s separation from Vic Fangio after just one season as defensive coordinator was mutual.
McDaniel, speaking here during the NFL Scouting Combine, replaced Fangio with former Baltimore Ravens assistant Anthony Weaver in the weeks after the Dolphins’ 2023 season.
But he had not explained why — until Tuesday.
Miami Dolphins’ Mike McDaniel: Vic Fangio Divorce Wasn’t Anticipated
“I’d be lying if I said I was expecting that during the season at all,” McDaniel told reporters. “And I think, you know, Vic would feel similarly.”
“I think it’s important when the season ends for you to remove emotion and evaluate and have very, very good conversations with all people that you’re depending on,” he continued.
“Vic and I, we had extensive conversations that [were] very healthy. And ultimately, when push came to shove, you know, it seemed like we both had the opportunity, and [it would] be best for both parties involved to literally mutually part.
“So it wasn’t anticipated. It was something that, you know, I think was a factor of great communication between him and I, where, you know, we feel like we’re all best served if we go a different direction, which is something that we had mutual belief, and excited for both parties moving forward.”
What McDaniel didn’t say, but is nonetheless almost certainly true:
Fangio always preferred to be the Philadelphia Eagles’ defensive coordinator, and when the opportunity presented itself this offseason, he jumped at it.
Fangio took the Eagles’ job the day after the Dolphins’ divorce was announced. And he likely would have taken it a year earlier had the timing of former Eagles DC Jonathan Gannon’s departure for the Arizona Cardinals head coach job been better.
KEEP READING: Dolphins Slayer Sean McDermott Sets Sights on Five Straight in “High-Level” AFC East
If that dynamic bothered McDaniel, he didn’t tip his hand Tuesday.
As soon as Fangio was gone, he embarked on a thorough defensive coordinator search that landed on Weaver, a former player who spent one year as the Texans’ defensive coordinator in 2020.
Weaver, who has known McDaniel for nearly two decades, seems to be a far better cultural fit with the organization.
Miss football? The 2024 NFL Draft is almost here, boss. Pro Football Network has you covered with everything from team draft needs to the Top 100 prospects available. Plus, fire up PFN’s Mock Draft Simulator to put yourself in the general manager’s seat and make all the calls!