Former Vikings Coach Mike Zimmer Heading Back to Sideline This Season
Mike Zimmer was the Minnesota Vikings head coach from 2014 until he was fired in 2022 and replaced by Kevin O'Connell, he hasn't been on the sideline for a team since then, but that will all change this season.
After leaving Minnesota, Zimmer sold his home in Minnesota and moved back to his ranch in Walton, Kentucky and just chilled for a couple of years, he did some consulting for some teams, but was not coaching in the NFL.
Zimmer was hired by the Dallas Cowboys as their new defensive coordinator, he is replacing Dan Quinn who spent three years with the team, but in a notable comparison between Zimmer and Quinn, it is being reported that Zimmer will be coaching the defense from the sidelines, versus from a stadium booth, like Quinn would do.
Zimmer told the media this week that he's "always" been on the sideline for games, and that he prefers to grab players when they come off the field to chat with them about anything that might need addressing, "If there’s adjustments that need be made, then I want to be able to sit down and do them with them".
This is Zimmer's second time with the Cowboys, he was an assistant coach for a while before being promoted to the defensive coordinator in 2000. This time around Zimmer will be working with longtime NFC North rival coach Mike McCarthy, he was the head coach of the Green Bay Packers from 2006 through 2018.
Zimmer left Minnesota with a winning record of 72-56 and head coach, but he only led the Vikings to the NFC North championship twice and the playoffs three times, but his defenses were always generally very good, so he may not make the best head coach, but he will be a great addition to the Cowboys for the foreseeable future.