Mike Zimmer and Rick Spielman haven't talked once since Vikings firings

Zimmer let loose on the end of his Minnesota tenure in a recent interview with the Star Tribune.

Oct 18, 2015; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer (L) speaks with general manager Rick Spielman (R) prior to their game against the Kansas City Chiefs at TCF Bank Stadium. | Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports

Mike Zimmer and Rick Spielman haven't spoken once since they were fired by the Vikings in January 2022, according to a fascinating new story from Mark Craig of the Minnesota Star Tribune. They hardly talked at all in 2021, either.

The disagreements began before the '21 draft. They got worse during the draft.

"'The first round, Rick tried to trade up for Justin Fields, who hasn’t done anything,' Zimmer says."

Imagine if that had worked out? The Vikings wound up trading back and landing star left tackle Christian Darrisaw. But with four picks in the third round, Spielman whiffed horrifically on Kellen Mond, Chazz Surratt, and Wyatt Davis before taking Patrick Jones II, who has been serviceable in Minnesota and remains on the roster today.

"'When he picked Mond, I walked out of the room,' Zimmer says. 'I left the building. I didn’t even talk to him on the phone.' The two spoke the next morning. 'Rick said, ‘You mad at me?’ I said, ‘Yeah, I think you took four backups when we had guys there I thought were starters,’ Zimmer says. 'From that time on, it just kind of got worse between us. And I’m not saying nothing was my fault. I’m sure there were plenty of things that were my fault.'"

Spielman has apparently texted Zimmer, but Zim hasn't responded.

The entire story from Craig on the Vikings' former head coach is illuminating. Zimmer didn't hold back at all in their interview. Among the other things he revealed:

* He said “hell no, they got me fired” when asked if he wanted to address the team after being let go.
* He hasn’t watched a single Vikings game over the last two years.
* He never meshed with Kirk Cousins and laments how his big contract took away from the rest of the roster.
* He regrets the team meeting he held late in ’21 where he defended his career to a room of taken-aback players.
* He was hurt by criticism from people like Eric Kendricks, Terence Newman, and Paul Allen after his firing.

These days, Zimmer is back coaching in the NFL for the first time since his Vikings tenure ended, preparing for the 2024 season as the Cowboys' defensive coordinator. He's been reunited with Kendricks, Linval Joseph, and most recently Dalvin Cook. He's happy again.

You can read the full Star Tribune story here.