Mike Zimmer talks about relationship with Deion Sanders and desire to coach in 2024
Earlier this week on the NFL+ show 'The Insiders', Mike Zimmer made it clear that he intends on returning to coaching as soon as possible. The 67-year-old has dealt with his fair share of tragedy, but wants to get back out for another time.
“The biggest thing is I love to teach, I love to coach,” Zimmer told host Tom Pelissero. “When I was a head coach I was trying to teach the players, and get them better, by teaching them about the game of football and not just their position….I think it’s something that’s just in your blood. My dad was a high school coach for a long, long, time. I love being around the players and I love the challenge of trying to make an organization better and get them where we need to go.”
Zimmer has decades of experience as a coach, including multiple stints as a defensive coordinator in both college and in the NFL. He also served as the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings for eight seasons. Deion Sanders hired him in 2022 to serve as a defensive analyst for Jackson State. A bond that goes back to the mid 90s with Zimmer as Prime's position coach with the Dallas Cowboys.
“Deion and I have a very interesting and unique but great relationship,” said Zimmer. “He’s gonna get the guys in there he wants, he's an outstanding recruiter. He's a terrific man who treats his players with the utmost respect. He can dislipline them and wants them to be better people than just football players as they move forward."
Numerous outlets reported last January that Zimmer was hired by Colorado in an unknown capacity. At the time, Coach Prime said in an interview on Thee Pregame Show’s YouTube channel, “Coach Zimmer’s coming. Forget the title, they know kids and they’ve been capable of making tremendous decisions with the kids and the young men in mind.”
Sanders hired Zimmer’s nephew, Andrew, served as a graduate assistant for the 2023 season. We'll see where Zimmer lands his next opportunity with a lot more gas left in the tank.