According to reports, Mike Zimmer, the former coach of the Minnesota Vikings from 2014 to 2021, is considering a comeback to the NFL.
According to Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News, Zimmer is considering applying for the vacant defensive coordinator post with the Dallas Cowboys. That was his prior role from 2000 to 2006.
Dan Quinn, the recently hired head coach of the Washington Commanders, is being replaced by someone, according to the Cowboys.
According to David Moore of the Dallas Morning News, the franchise is willing to taking into consideration other candidates, such as former Commanders and Carolina Panthers head coach Ron Rivera.
Zimmer worked with the Cowboys for a total of 13 years, under four different head coaches, from 1994 to 2006. In 1996, he was the defensive backs coach for Dallas, the team that won Super Bowl XXX.
Before taking over in Minnesota, Zimmer was the defensive coordinator for the Cincinnati Bengals and Atlanta Falcons.
As the Vikings’ head coach for eight seasons, Zimmer guided his team to an overall record of 72-56-1. 2017’s 13-win campaign served as the high point of his tenure. The Vikings advanced to the NFC Championship Game, where they were defeated by the Philadelphia Eagles, capping off their successful season.
After the Vikings’ second straight losing season in January 2022, Zimmer was sacked. The team never advanced that far in the playoffs under his leadership.
Zimmer held the seventh-longest head coaching tenure in NFL history at the time. Later, a story by Chad Graff of The Athletic stated that part of the reason for his departure was his bad relationship with quarterback Kirk Cousins.
Following his tenure as defensive backs coach in 2022, Zimmer was employed as an analyst at Jackson State University by head coach Deion Sanders. Sanders was a player on the Cowboys squad that won the Super Bowl.
Reports regarding Zimmer’s potential return to the NFL have surfaced before. Prior to the 2023 season, there were reports linking Zimmer to available defensive coordinator jobs with the Arizona Cardinals and Denver Broncos.
The Cowboys may also look within, as Joe Whitt Jr., the coordinator of the defensive passing game and secondary, was named the “top internal candidate” for the job by Moore.
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