Reports Fly Regarding Vikings Interest In Parcells

Thanks to a report from the New York Post, the Vikings and Saints are once again intertwined in one of the bigger headlines dominating the news.

The report claims that the Vikings currently want Bill Parcells to run their football team, a dot that was connected by Vikings fans months ago since it is well known that owner Zygi Wilf was a long-time Giants fan prior to owning his own team.

The news was a bit shocking but it didn’t take long for our local beat writers to step up and provide some clarity.

According to Tom Pelissero, yes, the Vikings expressed interest in Parcells to run their football team.  No, that did not happen recently.

Instead, the Vikings approached Parcells prior to hiring Rick Spielman as their General Manager and recommitting to Leslie Frazier as their Head Coach.  The Vikings say that the original report’s suggestion that the Wilf’s told Parcells to “name his price” is erroneous. 

“There is no truth to the media reports,” said public relations director Bob Hagan.

It is fairly evident that Parcells is simply trying to gain some leverage as the New Orleans Saints try to woo him out of retirement as a one-year replacement for the suspended Sean Payton.  After all, this is a terrible time of the year for any head coach or G.M. candidate to try and negotiate a contract.

The news, however, that the Vikings did indeed pursue Parcells prior to promoting Rick Spielman and keeping Leslie Frazier should only increase the pressure applied to their job performances.  The previous appearance that the Wilf family simply promoted from within without looking outside the organization is now dead, and they may be willing to look outside Winter Park once again should the Vikings continue to occupy the last place seat in the NFC North.