Mike Zimmer Goes Scorched Earth
Mike Zimmer does not remember his time with the Minnesota Vikings fondly, at least not the end of his tenure.
Mike Zimmer Goes Scorched Earth
The current Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator served as the Vikings’ head coach from 2014 to 2021, responsible for the NFL’s 10th-best record on his watch (72-56-1, .540). Yet, during the 2021 season, the operation succumbed to mediocrity and turmoil, causing Minnesota’s ownership to move from Zimmer and general manager Rick Spielman. The Vikings hired Kwesi Adofo-Mensah as general manager and Kevin O’Connell at head coach soon after, a pair that remains on the job.
Following his January 2022 termination, the Vikings’ owners, Mark and Zygi Wilf, asked Zimmer if he wished to address his football team — basically to say goodbye, a farewell address. According to Zimmer, he had no interest. “They asked me if I wanted to address the team. And I said, ‘Hell, no. They got me fired!'” Zimmer told the Star Tribune in a tell-interview.
“I can tell you I’ve not watched one Minnesota game since,” Zimmer added.
Most Vikings fans held Zimmer in rather high regard amid his eight seasons, so some were shocked to see the 2024 saltiness emerge.
Zimmer also expressed retrospective dismay over Spielman’s selection of quarterback Kellen Mond in the 2021 NFL Draft. “The first round, Rick tried to trade up for Justin Fields, who hasn’t done anything. When he picked Mond, I walked out of the room. I left the building,” Zimmer said.
“I didn’t even talk to him on the phone. Rick said, ‘You mad at me?’ I said, ‘Yeah, I think you took four backups when we had guys there I thought were starters.’ From that time on, it just kind of got worse between us. And I’m not saying nothing was my fault. I’m sure there were plenty of things that were my fault.”
Those historical morsels also confirm that Minnesota was in the mix for Fields, who is now the QB2 in Pittsburgh.
Finally, Zimmer appeared to throw shade at Kirk Cousins’ addition to the roster. “We’re averaging 10 wins a year playing really good defense with some other quarterbacks who weren’t as talented as Kirk,” Zimmer noted. “Then we paid Kirk a lot of money and ended up having to get rid of some guys on defense and weren’t able to get ones we needed.”
For years, the rumor mill claimed that Zimmer didn’t necessarily want Cousins and his humongous contract, which seems true in hindsight. The comments also uplifted Spielman’s and Zimmer’s inability to draft effective personnel in the 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021 NFL Drafts.
Zimmer, too, addressed the infamous “shove” with Cousins after a win over the Detroit Lions in 2021, an incident he claimed ended friendships with KFAN’s Paul Allen and others.
The Vikings don’t play Zimmer’s Cowboys this year in the regular season, but if he stays for the long haul, they will face Zimmer in Dallas in 2025.
Social media reactions to Zimmer’s musings were mixed. Some respected the honesty; others chided Zimmer as bitter and lacking leadership.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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