How closely Vic Fangio, 67, came to retirement in the past few weeks isn’t publicly known, but he considered it, according to some oddly timed reports. Then again, the Eagles’ renowned defensive coordinator also weighed walking away after last year’s Super Bowl championship. He told attendees at the victory party that he appreciated working with them and planned to end his career on a high note. But the Eagles brass persuaded him to come back for at least one more season, the NFL Network reported. E.J. Smith of PHLY Sports and Jimmy Kempski of Philly Voice said a similar scenario played out after this past season, with Fangio likely opting to return, but team representatives have declined to make an official statement either way. The retirement reports surfaced over the weekend, which is interesting because most NFL coordinator vacancies have already been filled. Fangio, a Scranton area native whose career spans 40-plus years, presumably began mulling retirement within days of the Eagles’ first-round playoff loss to San Francisco. But if his decision to stay isn’t final, it could put the team in a bind. The Eagles are confident he’ll be back for 2026, but just in case, they’ve reportedly reached out to a pair of former Philly defensive coordinators — Jonathan Gannon and Jim Schwartz. Gannon was DC here in 2022, when the Birds reached the Super Bowl but lost to Kansas City. Schwartz was on the job when they won the franchise’s first Lombardi Trophy in 2017. Fangio’s defense, which was No. 1 in most major categories in 2024, was pivotal in the Eagles winning Super Bowl LIX. The Birds shut out the Chiefs for nearly three quarters, sacked Patrick Mahomes six times, hit him 11 times, forced and recovered a QB fumble and intercepted him twice, including a pick six. Fangio’s bend-but-don’t-break defense carried the Eagles through most of 2025 before everything went kaput against the 49ers. A couple of media outlets erroneously reported that Sean McDermott, fired last month as head coach of the Bills, will replace Fangio as the Eagles defensive coordinator. McDermott, a Lansdale native who got his pro coaching start in Philadelphia under Andy Reid, is expected to take this year off. He’ll be a top head coaching candidate in 2027. • • • Sean Mannion, the Eagles’ new offensive coordinator, formerly quarterbacks coach for the Green Bay Packers, was hired as a first-time play caller. But he got a chance to call plays in last week’s East-West Shrine Bowl in Frisco, Texas. The event, which moves around the country and includes several practices leading up to the game, benefits the Shriner’s Children’s nonprofit. Touted as the “college football all-star game,” it features mid-level and under-the-radar college players eligible for the NFL draft. Mannion’s West squad rushed for 142 yards and his quarterbacks completed 22 of 28 passes for 160 yards in a 21-17 win. • • • NOTES: Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts was selected to his third Pro Bowl Games. … New Giants coach John Harbaugh said last week on The Howard Eskin Show that in order to compete in the NFC East, New York needs to build a team designed to beat the Eagles. “It starts with the Eagles. I mean, let’s just be honest about it. Yeah, you gotta beat the Commanders and you gotta beat the Cowboys, but the Eagles are the champs.” — Follow Christiaan DeFranco on X at @the_defranc for the latest updates. ...read more read less