Vikings owner has ‘every intent’ to keep coach Mike Zimmer in Minnesota
As long as Minnesota Vikings co-owner Mark Wilf has his way, both Mike Zimmer and Rick Spielman will be back with the organization for the foreseeable future.
Wilf released a statement on Friday afternoon backing his head coach and general manager amid speculation that they could leave this offseason. Both Zimmer and Spielman are under contract through the end of next season after the team synced up their contracts last March.
“We value Mike and Rick’s leadership, and we have every intent of Mike continuing as the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings and Rick leading our football operations, next year and beyond,” Wilf said in a statement.
Spielman got his start with Minnesota in 2006, and took over as its general manager in 2012. Zimmer has been with the Vikings since 2014, and has compiled a 57-38 record. He has racked up three 10-win seasons over his six years with the team, too, and is the third-winningest coach in franchise history.
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Though he’s reached the postseason this year for the third time, Zimmer has been linked to the Dallas Cowboys in recent weeks.
The Cowboys are expected to part ways with head coach Jason Garrett this offseason, and many think that Zimmer could be an ideal candidate for Dallas owner Jerry Jones. Zimmer got his NFL start in Dallas as an assistant and defensive backs coach from 1994-1999, and was then promoted to defensive coordinator starting in 2000. He remained with the franchise until the end of the 2006 season.
It will officially take a new contract to keep Zimmer in Minnesota past next season, something it sounds like Wilf intends to do. However, if Jones were to come calling with an offer for what is considered one of the top jobs in the league — even given the Cowboys’ struggles this season — things could change fast.
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