There will be no reunion between the Carolina Panthers and Vic Fangio.
As first reported by NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero on Sunday afternoon, the Miami Dolphins have hired the 64-year-old play caller as their new defensive coordinator. Fangio was one of three men to have interviewed for Carolina’s opening.
The #Dolphins have agreed to terms with Vic Fangio on a deal that makes him the NFL’s highest-paid coordinator, per sources.
It’s a 3-year deal with a 4th-year team option. Fangio, the former #Broncos coach, is one of football’s best defensive minds. Huge get for Mike McDaniel. pic.twitter.com/ynCK2BB2xC
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 29, 2023
Fangio brings nearly four decades of NFL experience to Miami, an impressive body of work that began with the New Orleans Saints in 1986. That run, as the team’s linebackers coach, lasted for nine seasons before his jump to Charlotte.
Carolina’s defense would come out swinging under Fangio in their opening 1995 campaign, as they allowed the seventh-fewest total yards per game. They’d go on to rank 10th, 15th and 32nd in the following three seasons.
Between his dismissal after 1998 and now, Fangio picked up seven more stops—four of which put him back on play-calling duties. He served as the defensive coordinator for the Indianapolis Colts (1999-2001), the Houston Texans (2002-2005), Stanford University (2010), the San Francisco 49ers (2011-2014) and the Chicago Bears (2015-2018).
He’d finally get his shot as a head coach in 2019, with the Denver Broncos. His tenure there was brief, however, as he was let go after a 19-30 mark over three seasons.
