Let’s begin by stipulating that Vic Fangio and the Miami Dolphins probably needed to break up. Fangio and Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel were probably too different for this to be a long-term relationship.
Miami Dolphins Deserve Compensation for Vic Fangio
It’s true that Fangio’s old-school approach rubbed some of his Zoomer players the wrong way.
Those are real concerns, and if they were so significant that they were the only reason McDaniel agreed Wednesday to let Fangio out of his contract, we understand the logic, if not fully agree with it.
But that’s not the full story.
There is one other important bit of context:
The Dolphins were always Fangio’s second choice. His No. 1 preference was always to be the Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator. And it seems as though he’s getting his way.
ESPN has reported that Fangio is traveling to Philly on Thursday to sign a contract to take over that exact role. The Eagles have a vacancy after parting ways with Sean Desai in recent days.
The whole thing smells funny.
Was Fangio’s year in Miami simply a cash grab?
And did the Eagles tamper with Fangio? It’s something the league should look into and hand out punishment if there’s evidence.
But even if everything was done on the up and up — as in, the Eagles went through the proper channels before making contact with Fangio’s agent — something doesn’t sit right.
With the caveat that we’re operating with only part of the information, it sure seems that Fangio — less than a year after signing the most lucrative contract by a defensive coordinator in league history — wanted to coach elsewhere.
And the Dolphins, who still reportedly controlled his rights for another two years, let Fangio get his way.
The Dolphins and DC Vic Fangio have mutually agreed to part ways. pic.twitter.com/T3bJy8nMC1
— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) January 24, 2024
Fangio had next to no leverage here. And the Dolphins should have squeezed him — and any team that was interested in hiring him.
While it’s rare, coaches do get traded from team to team. And so the Dolphins could have demanded Fangio either honor his contract, retire, or convince his new team to cough up a draft pick in return.
And even if it would have been tricky to pull off an assistant-for-pick swap, the two sides could have agreed to a replacement-level player-for-pick trade that was unofficially contingent on the Dolphins letting Fangio out of his contract.
It not only would have given the Dolphins another asset in an important offseason, it would have sent a message to the rest of the league: We’re going to protect what’s ours.
The Eagles and Fangio would have folded. They need him, and as he articulated in his introductory news conference last winter, simply can’t quit the game, even well into his 60s.
KEEP READING: The Miami Dolphins Should Probably Trade Their First-Round Pick (Again)
“That’s who I am,” he said. “That’s what I do. That’s what I like to do. I still have a lot of coaching left in me. It’s not like I’m thinking about retirement or anything.
“Somebody asked, ‘How much longer are you going to do this?’ I don’t know. It might be 10 years if they’ll have me here for 10 years. It’s just who I am, what I do, what I enjoy doing. I like the competition. I like teaching players. I like to see players improve as individuals and putting something together is challenging and fulfilling.”
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