After eight seasons as head coach of the Minnesota Vikings, the organization announced it has fired head coach Mike Zimmer. With the season coming to an end for Minnesota following the regular-season finale against the Chicago Bears in Week 18, the Vikings decided to ultimately part ways with Zimmer to begin the search for a new head coach to lead the team. The team has also fired General Manager Rick Spielman.
The #Vikings have also fired HC Mike Zimmer after eight seasons with the team, as @TomPelissero said. His head coaching career in Minnesota ends with a 72–56–1 record and three playoff appearances.
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) January 10, 2022
Zimmer has led the Vikings since 2014 when he was defensive coordinator for the Cincinnati Bengals and took on his first head coaching job in Minnesota. But after coming up short of reaching the postseason the last two years, Zimmer’s time at the helm of the Vikings has officially come to an end like the conclusion of the season for the purple and gold.
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Mike Zimmer Is Out as Minnesota Vikings Head Coach
In eight seasons as head coach, Zimmer has coached in a total of 129 games with Minnesota, totaling a record of 72-56-1 overall. The 65-year-old coach led the Vikings to four seasons where they finished above .500, with one season-ending up 8-8 overall and the other three ending below the .500 mark.
Along with that overall record, Zimmer managed to help Minnesota to a record of 2-3 in a total of three playoff appearances in eight years, with the longest postseason run coming in 2019 when the Vikings reached the NFC Divisional Round and fell to the San Francisco 49ers.
Even with a talented roster and the establishment of one of the top defensive units in the NFL, Zimmer and company have fallen short of expectations set out by many over the last two years, not being able to even return to the postseason since reaching that NFC Divisional game. Ultimately, that led to the dismissal of Zimmer before he had a chance to think about returning to coach the team for a ninth season.
The Zimmer Era in Minnesota has officially come to a close, with some intriguing candidates potentially available to step into the Vikings head coaching job next season and beyond. Although Zimmer’s time in Minnesota started off nicely, it ended just the opposite with a fresh start now underway for the purple and gold.
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