Cowboys Interview Ex-Vikings Coach for Top Job
It’s not Mike Zimmer.
Cowboys Interview Ex-Vikings Coach for Top Job
Zimmer defensively coordinated the Dallas Cowboys in 2024 but [presumably] left the organization about a week ago when his boss, Mike McCarthy, didn’t return, opting for “coach free agency.” Now, amid a search for a new head coach, Dallas has interviewed for Minnesota Vikings skipper Leslie Frazier.
The Cowboys’ main social media team tweeted Monday, “We have completed an in-person interview with Leslie Frazier for our Head Coach position.”
So far, Dallas owner Jerry Jones has discussed the vacancy with these three candidates:
- Leslie Frazier
- Kellen Moore
- Robert Saleh
Frazier, 65, is considered a longshot to earn the job in Dallas, but stranger things have happened. Brian Schottenheimer, the Cowboys’ offensive coordinator since 2023, is the sportsbooks’ darling to grab the post, though he has not yet formally interviewed.
The Seahawks hired Frazier one year ago as assistant head coach, and he provided a valuable balance of experience in that role, helping to offset any disadvantage of Mike Macdonald’s youth. Frazier also threw his hat in the ring last year for head coaching jobs with the Las Vegas Raiders and Los Angeles Chargers last offseason, but Las Vegas hired interim head coach Antonio Pierce for the long haul, and Los Angeles opted for the University of Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh. The former Vikings skipper also chatted with the Miami Dolphins about a defensive coordinator assignment in 2024.
Frazier served as the Buffalo Bills’ defensive coordinator for six seasons (2017-2022) before the two parties amicably split in February 2023. The Bills’ defense ranked third in the NFL per EPA/Play on his watch. He also interviewed with the Chicago Bears and New York Giants during 2022’s coaching carousel, but the Bears landed on Matt Eberflus while the Giants hired Brian Daboll — the team that beat the Vikings in the postseason about 11 months later.
The ex-Vikings skipper certainly didn’t prosper in Minnesota, but folks are afforded second chances in life and sports. The man excelled in Buffalo and perhaps eventually could lead another team with more success than he did with the Vikings from 2011 to 2013. In those seasons, Minnesota posted an 18-29-1 (.385) record, the eighth-worst in the NFL during the timeframe. Too, Frazier was hired as a defensive guru, and the Vikings’ defense ranked 28th in the league per EPA/Play from 2011 to 2013. It was not a fit for either side.
The Cowboys finished 7-10 in 2024, a season that totally fell apart when quarterback Dak Prescott got injured in early November.
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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