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Sean Payton admits he badly wanted to hire Vic Fangio for Denver Broncos and tried to ‘twist his arm’

Sean Payton

The Miami Dolphins made a huge splash this offseason by hiring Vic Fangio to be their new defensive coordinator.

Fangio had plenty of interest around the league after taking most of the 2022 season off. One of the teams interested in him was the Denver Broncos, who are now led by Sean Payton.

Payton recently spoke about his team’s pursuit of the 64-year-old and said that he tried to “twist” Fangio’s arm.

“We were planning in this year away, if the right scenario came up, that we’d work together,” Payton said. “And I think this one was just a little unique ’cause it wasn’t too long ago he was here. But certainly I tried, talk to him, tried to twist his arm, and I’m excited for his opportunity in Miami. I think he’s a talented coach.”

The new Broncos head coach is just the latest person in the league to praise Fangio. New Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon recently gushed about Fangio’s defenses and called him a “mastermind.” One unnamed NFL coach also said that Fangio is the king of finding a way of “messing with your back” and can turn offenses into a “s—show.”

As Payton alluded to, Fangio recently spent some time as head coach of the Broncos. He was in that role for three seasons, compiling a 19-30 record.

Payton has a pretty interesting history with the Dolphins. Miami reportedly had plans to pursue him and Tom Brady before Brian Flores filed his racial discrimination class action lawsuit.

The 59-year-old later claimed to have “no clue” about the rumors linking him to the Dolphins. However, in September of last year, it was reported that Payton had some level of interest in coaching the Dolphins. In January of 2023, one NFL insider even identified the Dolphins as a wild card to pursue Payton.

However, that job is not available, as the organization appears to be very pleased with the work Mike McDaniel has done. McDaniel has captivated the team’s fan base with his personality and led the franchise to a 9-8 record and playoff appearance in his first season.

Tua Tagovailoa’s concussions essentially tanked any chance the team had of going far in the playoffs last season, but there are plenty of things to be confident about for the 2023 season.

It seems like players are excited about the team heading into the new campaign. Fangio recently said that he’s “anxious” to try out new coverages for Miami.

Fangio and the Dolphins are scheduled to host Payton and the Broncos for a game during the 2023 season. That will surely be an interesting and exciting matchup for both sides.