Broncos' Vic Fangio fired odds: Denver not expected to bring back head coach for 2022 NFL season

Black Monday is next week and there almost surely will be four openings around the NFL: Jacksonville (already open), Las Vegas (open), Chicago (Matt Nagy is gone) and Minnesota (Mike Zimmer is gone). SportsLine oddsmakers believe there will be at least one more as the Denver Broncos are favored on the NFL odds to move on from third-year coach Vic Fangio.

Former Broncos boss John Elway hired Fangio; current general manager George Paton has no ties to the coach, who is 19-29 entering Saturday's finale against Kansas City. Most general managers want to get on with their own vision for the future of a franchise coach-wise. Fangio was reportedly close to be fired following last season's 5-11 record and was given an unofficial "playoff-or-bust" ultimatum entering 2021.

Denver was square in the wild-card race this season at 7-6 following a home blowout win vs. Detroit in Week 14, but the Broncos have lost three straight since to be eliminated from playoff contention. They close the season Saturday vs. Kansas City. 

Fangio has said he'd be willing to return for the fourth and final year of his contract in 2022 without an extension. Denver's ownership situation might complicate the team's decision on Fangio as the team is expected to be sold in the spring. It could be Fangio is kept but is forced to make changes on the offensive coaching staff – i.e., firing coordinator Pat Shurmur.

Fangio is a terrific defensive coach and would have no trouble finding another job as a coordinator – there are some rumors that if Jim Harbaugh returns to the NFL, he would hire Fangio as his DC as they were together with the 49ers -- but Denver's offense has never gotten going under his watch. During the current three-game skid, the team is averaging just 12.0 ppg. Fangio didn't draft Drew Lock or sign Teddy Bridgewater, but he also didn't help get the best out of either of them.

As one point of reference via Pro Football Reference, Denver's Offensive SRS each of the past three seasons has been -4.3 or worse. That's a team's offense rating relative to an average of 0.0. This year, the offense is -5.2 and the defense +4.3. Denver will definitely be in the quarterback market this offseason and likely looking for an offensive-minded head coach if Fangio is gone.

The NFL Network's Ian Rapoport recently reported that Fangio's fate was up in the air, and that was before the playoff-elimination blowout loss in Week 17 at the Chargers. Rapoport also wrote that "history does not speak well on a coach heading into his fourth year without having made the playoffs." Fangio is the 14th coach this century to open a tenure with three losing seasons. Eight of the previous 13 were then fired. 

Pro Football Network's Tony Pauline reported on Dec. 30 that if the Broncos made the playoffs, they weren't going to fire Fangio. That's obviously a moot point.

Via SportsLine oddsmakers: Will Vic Fangio be the Broncos' coach Week 1 of the 2022 season?

• No -180
• Yes +150

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