4 Vikings on the hot seat for 2021 after free agency moves
By Dean Jones
Mike Zimmer – Head Coach
It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that Mike Zimmer was heavily involved in the direction of recruitment this offseason. The embarrassing production on defense by the Vikings in 2020 is something that no doubt hurt the head coach and rectifying this at the earliest possible opportunity was clearly high on his list of priorities.
The personnel is now in place with the signings previously mentioned. Couple this with the impending returns of Michael Pierce and Danielle Hunter to the defensive front and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Minnesota become the force of old on defense in 2021.
However, if performances don’t pick up and the unit hampers an improving offense yet again, then the finger of blame will be placed in Zimmer’s direction. He’s fought hard to get the right players in free agency, so he will be all-too-aware that the buck stops with the head coach if they cannot turn things around.
Zimmer has always prided himself on having top defenses, which was part of the reason why he got the Minnesota job in the first place. At 64-years-old, he is not getting any younger, and there are some who clearly want change. So the only way for Zimmer to silence these doubters is to help the Vikings put together some wins on the field when it matters most next season.
There is more at stake for Zimmer than most in 2021. Whether the Vikings have enough to mount another postseason challenge is another matter entirely.