Fangio knows his future is a topic of discussion, but he believes he deserves a chance to be back in 2022.
Fangio signed a four-year deal when he was hired. When December began, the Broncos were in the running for the playoffs, but have lost three of the past four games, having scored 10 and 13 points in their past two losses.
If Fangio thought he deserved to be back in '22 and if he didn't, would he coach the final year of his deal without an offer?
He said yes. "Just the direct, short answer there, absolutely.''
The Broncos have scored 13 or fewer points in each of their past three losses, and despite a defense that is tied for the top spot in scoring defense, they are all but eliminated from the playoffs. Super Bowl 50 was the last playoff game for the Broncos.
"These last three losses have been very close,'' Fangio said. I think it shows the fight in this team. Is it possible that we scored enough points in those losses? We haven't. We have total faith in our players that they will get this turned around over the next two weeks.
This is the first season that Fangio has worked with George Paton, who was hired in January. Paton has complete authority over the football operations.
Fangio's tenure has been marked by struggles on offense and inconsistencies at quarterback. The Broncos haven't averaged more than 23 points per game in the last three years and have averaged 19.9 points this season.
Fangio was asked if he was concerned about his job security in the last two weeks of the season.
"I don't and I know you think that is a standard answer, but for a lot of reasons, I don't worry about it,'' Fangio said. I don't know if that is out there and could happen to me, but those are personal to me. Absolutely. Do I worry about it? I don't worry about it for a lot of reasons.
Fangio said that when he talks to Paton, they talk about what moves the team could make to snap the playoff drought as they make moves to cover for injuries or players on the reserve/COVID-19 list.
Fangio said that most of the discussions are about juggling the roster with everything going on. We talk about the future, but we don't go too far into the future.
Fangio and George have a good relationship. George Paton is one of the best assets the Denver Broncos have. I've been around a lot of general managers, some of them in the Hall of Fame, and I think this guy is going to be great at his job. He and I get along very well.
