Inside The Vikings

Former Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer 'likely' retiring from NFL

Zimmer spent last season as the Cowboys' defensive coordinator.

Will Ragatz

Dec 26, 2021; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer walks onto the field before the game against the Los Angeles Rams at U.S. Bank Stadium.
Dec 26, 2021; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer walks onto the field before the game against the Los Angeles Rams at U.S. Bank Stadium. / Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images
In this story:

Former Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer is likely to retire from coaching in the NFL, according to veteran reporter Ed Werder. Zimmer spent last season as the Cowboys' defensive coordinator under Mike McCarthy but is not returning to Dallas on new head coach Brian Schottenheimer's staff.

Zimmer, 68, began his coaching career as a defensive assistant at the University of Missouri in 1979. After a few college stops, he got his first NFL job with the Cowboys in 1994, eventually being named defensive coordinator in 2000. He was then the DC in Atlanta and Cincinnati before the Vikings hired him as their head coach in 2014. Zimmer held that role for eight years.

During his Minnesota tenure, Zimmer went 72-56-1 in the regular season and made three trips to the playoffs, winning two games. He trails only Bud Grant and Dennis Green in victories among all Vikings head coaches. His .562 winning percentage trails those two and Kevin O'Connell, who has gone 34-17 since replacing Zimmer in 2022.

After a couple years away from the NFL, working as an analyst for good friend Deion Sanders' teams at Jackson State and then Colorado, Zimmer went back to Dallas to replace Dan Quinn as the Cowboys' DC. It was a difficult season that apparently was his last in the NFL.

Stay up to date on all things Vikings by bookmarking Minnesota Vikings On SI, subscribing to our YouTube channel, and signing up to receive our free Vikings newsletter.

Published
Will Ragatz
WILL RAGATZ

Will Ragatz is a senior writer for Vikings On SI. He is a credentialed Minnesota Vikings beat reporter, covering the team extensively at practices, games and throughout the NFL draft and free agency period. Ragatz attended Northwestern University, where he studied at the prestigious Medill School of Journalism. During his time as a student, he covered Northwestern Wildcats football and basketball for SB Nation’s Inside NU, eventually serving as co-editor-in-chief in his junior year. In the fall of 2018, Will interned in Sports Illustrated’s newsroom in New York City, where he wrote articles on Major League Baseball, college football, and college basketball for SI.com.

Home/News