On thin ice for most of this season, Mike Zimmer is not expected to receive his ninth year as the Vikings head coach. Minnesota is expected to move on from its perennial HC after Week 18, CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora reports.
The situation is now coming to this conclusion a bit, with the “two past losses” likely to close the defensive-minded coach’s fate. Ownership Zimmer is almost boxed after Vikes’ escape reaches the division stage in 2019, so it will be difficult for him to deal with consecutive losing seasons.
While the Vikings have reached the knockout stages three times under Zimmer, his abrasive style has influenced the team as a whole, La Canfora added. Of the second team Kirk Cousin Contracts have failed to yield the desired results, with the high-priced quarterback set to end a quarter in the playoff berths under Zimmer. Vikings head to post-season in 2015 with Teddy Bridgewater stay at the controls and reach the 2017 NFC game championship with Case Keenum. Zimmer’s defense performed better in those seasons; Injuries have limited the Vikings’ defense for the past two years.
A longtime defensive coordinator, Zimmer has placed the Vikings in the top 10 scoring defense from 2015-19. However, over the past two seasons, the team has declined at that rate. Entering Week 18, Minnesota ranked 25th in allowed points and 31st in total defensive points. Line-up 7-9 didn’t have Danielle Hunter for most of this season and lost Everson Griffen in November. That said, Zimmer will likely be a strong DC contender elsewhere if/once the Vikings pull the trigger to fire him.
GM Rick Spielman’s status is less certain, but he should be expected to return. Spielman has been with the Vikings since 2006, lasting through Brad Childress, Leslie Frazier and Zimmer’s tenure. Although the Vikings can start fresh with a new GM, SI.com’s Albert Breer notes Spielman is expected to stay with the team – be it in his current role or in another executive position. La Canfora also heard that Spielman was not considered a close candidate. Spielman, 59, could be in a position to pick the next GM Vikings, in a scenario similar to how the Broncos transitioned from John Elway in that post last year.
