Insider Floats Mike Zimmer as Possible Broncos' DC Target
Now that Sean Payton has been introduced as the head coach of the Denver Broncos, the next step is filling out his assistant staff. Payton has been linked to New Orleans Saints assistant Ronald Curry as an offensive coordinator.
Nothing has been announced yet, relative to Curry joining Payton in Denver. But who will the Broncos' new head coach tap for defensive coordinator?
There have been rumors, but in his MMQB column, Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer mused about Payton reconnecting with a former colleague.
Good on Denver for letting Evero pursue other opportunities. It seems as if Seattle assistant Sean Desai, an old Vic Fangio disciple, is well positioned for the Broncos job, but I’ve had multiple people wonder aloud to me if Payton might take a swing at luring Mike Zimmer, whom he worked with in Dallas, over to Denver from Boulder, where Zimmer is working for Deion Sanders.
To be clear, Breer is not reporting an official interest on Payton's part in Zimmer. But that would be a phenomenal hire.
Both Payton and Zimmer were on Bill Parcell's Dallas Cowboys staff back in the 2000s. Both went on to become NFL head coaches, though it took Zimmer a bit longer to garner his first opportunity.
A defensive coordinator in Dallas and later Cincinnati, Zimmer's first head-coaching job came with the Minnesota Vikings in 2014. Over his seven-year tenure, Zimmer delivered three playoff berths and two postseason wins, culminating in an NFC Championship Game berth in 2017.
Zimmer was eventually dispatched when it became clear that he was unable to maximize the big contract the Vikings gave quarterback Kirk Cousins. Zimmer was fired following the 2021 season. He departed with a 74–59–1 (.556) record (including playoffs) as head coach.
Zimmer spent 2022 as an analyst at Jackson State under Deion Sanders. And with Sanders taking the head-coaching job at the University of Colorado, Zimmer has been linked to the Buffaloes' defensive coordinator position, though it has yet to be confirmed.
If Payton wanted to reconnect with Zimmer, and he's already headed to Colorado, passing by Boulder for an NFL job at Dove Valley might not take the well-regarded defensive czar too far out of his way.
Stay tuned.
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