Purple Rumor Mill: Mike Zimmer’s Next Move, Dark Horse Team for Sam Darnold, O’Connell’s Contract
VikingsTerritory’s Purple Rumor Mill is a two-day chronicle each week. All the week’s rumors are lassoed and plopped in two spots — articles on Saturday and Sunday — for review. Today is the February 2nd edition.
Vikings Rumors: Mike Zimmer’s Next Move, Dark Horse Team for Sam Darnold, O’Connell’s Contract
Remember — rumors are rumors. What you read on weekends in these pieces is what the world is talking about pertaining to the Vikings, not necessarily items that will come to fruition.
Here’s the second batch of the week. Yesterday’s can be read here.
Rumor: Mike Zimmer will retire this offseason.
Zimmer may indeed retire, according to ESPN’s Ed Werder.
“Mike Zimmer tells me that he will not be returning to the Cowboys as a member of Brian Schottenheimer’s coaching staff and will likely retire from coaching in the NFL. Zimmer served as defensive coordinator last season. Cowboys likely to hire Matt Eberflus as DC, per sources,” Werder tweeted on Sunday.
The Cowboys’ defense ranked 28th per EPA/Play on Zimmer’s watch this season, also known as fifth-worst in the NFL.
The 68-year-old recently got engaged, so perhaps his NFL retirement will coincide with that event.
It’s evidently the end of the NFL road for the ex-Vikings coach.
Rumor: The Indianapolis Colts could be a low-key player for Sam Darnold.
NFL.com’s Nick Shook recently sized up the Darnold Sweepstakes, and the Colts made an appearance. “Despite calls for change, the Colts kept GM Chris Ballard after their disappointing finish to the 2024 season, a campaign in which they bounced back and forth between Anthony Richardson and Joe Flacco. Ballard admitted they need to bring in competition for Richardson in 2025, and Darnold could provide such a battle,” he wrote.
Most expect the Colts to roll with Richardson in 2025 after investing a 1st-Round pick in him during the 2024 NFL Draft.
Shook added, “They have $28 million in cap space to work with at publishing, per Over The Cap, making such an addition possible financially. Richardson could make a Darnold signing pointless if he cleans up his mechanics and proves he can stay healthy, but after being caught in a tough spot in 2024 because of Richardson’s inconsistency and Flacco’s age, the Colts owe it to themselves to consider veteran options.”
The Colts have a recent history of onboarding veteran quarterbacks, including Matt Ryan, Philip Rivers, Carson Wentz, and Jacoby Brissett. So, this rumor is worthwhile.
Rumor: Kevin O’Connell’s contract connects him to Minnesota through the end of 2029.
According to two sources, VikingsTerritory has learned that the deal is worth $13 million per season and extends O’Connell’s stay through the end of the 2029 campaign — so five more years in total.
O’Connell had one year left on his contract entering the 2025 offseason, leaving many to wonder when the deal would finalize. The offseason didn’t grow older than two weeks. Minnesota got its man.
It’s safe to assume that O’Connell will stick around to oversee the J.J. McCarthy era.
One Team Keeps Popping Up as Sam Darnold’s Next Employer
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 MIN 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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