This will go down as the year that “might have been” for Jim Schwartz. Not only was the veteran defensive coordinator passed over for the Cleveland Browns’ head coaching job, but developments elsewhere around the NFL may have kept him from landing on his feet.
So, after resigning from the Browns in the aftermath of losing out to new head coach Todd Monken, Schwartz is likely going to have to sit out this season and look for a coaching job in the next cycle, if he decides that retirement isn’t right for him. However, it all could have been very different.
According to FOX Sports, Schwartz was a backup plan for one NFC contender, as he was in line to potentially return to the Philadelphia Eagles if Vic Fangio retired as their defensive coordinator.
“If Fangio had held firm in his decision to retire, the Eagles were planning to contact former Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon and Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, according to PhillyVoice,” FOX Sports wrote.
Fangio has been with the Eagles the past two seasons, and the 67-year-old reportedly has considered retirement following each of them. Earlier this month, it was thought that he would follow through on that decision, but Philadelphia was able to convince him to stay for at least one more year under head coach Nick Sirianni.
It’s possible that if Schwartz were available sooner, the Eagles might have been more comfortable letting Fangio leave. Schwartz was Philadelphia’s DC when it won Super Bowl LII against the New England Patriots.
But as it happened, Schwartz remained in limbo while the Browns went through a weeks-long process that eventually ended with Monken getting the job in late January. Then, the Browns could not entice Schwartz to stay; he resigned in early February, and he was replaced by former Atlanta Falcons assistant Mike Rutenberg.
In that time, Fangio returned to the Eagles, and with the Browns retaining Schwartz’s rights, other avenues may have been closed to him. That includes the defensive coordinator job with the Las Vegas Raiders, who hired Klint Kubiak as their head coach following Super Bowl LX.
About to turn 60 in June, Schwartz could face a difficult task getting back into the NFL after a year away.
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