3 reasons why free agency secured Mike Zimmer’s future in Minnesota
By Nik Edlund
Former players wanted to return
A sign of a great coach is when players are more than happy to come back for a second stint with the team to play for him again. Mike Zimmer has seen this happen in the past and he saw it again in free agency this year.
A few years ago, the Vikings signed their former defensive tackle Shamar Stephen after a one-year stint with the Seattle Seahawks. Unfortunately, his second go-around with Minnesota wasn’t as successful as his first and he was recently released. The Vikings will hope these more recent players who are starting their second regimes in Purple, find more success.
First of all, Weatherly came back to the Vikings after signing a pretty nice deal with the Panthers a season ago. He was ecstatic to be back working with Zimmer and the rest of the defensive coaching staff, even if he was back to a part-time role.
The same can be said for cornerback Mackensie Alexander. He was one of Zimmer’s recent success stories who after he had two substandard years in the league, found his niche as a nickel corner who was tremendous at blitzing. Alexander stated how happy he was to be back and greeted his former head coach with a big hug.
It says a lot about the head coach when former players are so eager to come back and suit up for his teams. Zimmer is obviously a coach who guys love playing for and learning from. The fact that he’s had so many come back in recent seasons proves this and adds to the value he brings to this franchise.