If the Minnesota Vikings decide to part ways with head coach Mike Zimmer this year, where might he end up for the 2022 season?
This upcoming Sunday, we could end up witnessing the final time in which the Minnesota Vikings will take the field with Mike Zimmer as their head coach.
Rumors and speculation have been running rampant recently regarding Zimmer’s future with the Vikings and most of it leads to his departure from the franchise after this weekend.
If Minnesota actually does end up deciding to part ways with their current head coach, it would surprise absolutely no one if he wound up getting a job with another NFL team for the 2022 season.
Most teams would likely consider Zimmer for a vacancy on the defensive side of the ball. But there might even be a few teams interested in making him their new head coach.
So if the Vikings say goodbye to Zimmer in the near future, who are a few of the teams around the league that might decide to add him to their coaching staff?
New Orleans Saints
- As a defensive coordinator
Despite having one of the worst passing offenses in the NFL this season, the New Orleans Saints are still on the brink of making the playoffs thanks to the performance of their defense. Through their first 16 games, the Saints rank fourth in points allowed, eighth in yards allowed, and first in yards allowed per rushing attempt.
Due to the success of the New Orleans defense this season, it’s possible that the team’s defensive coordinator, Dennis Allen, could leave to become a head coach for another team. If this happens, don’t be surprised if Saints head coach Sean Payton gives his buddy Mike Zimmer a call to become his new defensive coordinator.
Payton and Zimmer are friends and they worked together in the past when they were both members of the Dallas Cowboys coaching staff. Of course, Zimmer joining New Orleans would mostly depend on whether Allen leaves or not.
Chicago Bears
- As a head coach or defensive coordinator
If the Vikings decide to part with Zimmer this year, he would probably love to have the opportunity to coach a team that faces Minnesota twice per season.
The Chicago Bears, the Vikings’ opponent on Sunday, are expected to be making a head coaching move of their own after the 2021 season as there have been multiple reports during the last few months about the likelihood of them moving on from Matt Nagy.
Sometimes, teams will end up hiring a new head coach that is the polar opposite of the last guy to lead their team. When it comes to Nagy, Zimmer is certainly someone who possesses several very different characteristics.
Even if the Bears aren’t interested in hiring Zimmer to be their next head coach, the guy they do actually go with might be interested in making the current Minnesota head coach the team’s new defensive coordinator.
Zimmer grew up just outside of Chicago and it might be the perfect place for him to close out his career as a coach in the NFL.
Dallas Cowboys
- As a defensive coordinator
Long before he wound up getting hired to be the head coach of the Vikings in 2014, some of Mike Zimmer’s most successful years as an assistant coach in the NFL were during his time with the Dallas Cowboys.
Zimmer joined the Cowboys’ coaching staff in 1994, he then spent 1995 to 1999 as the team’s defensive backs coach, and he finished his tenure with Dallas as their defensive coordinator from 2000 to 2006.
There were rumors of the Cowboys having interest in bringing in Zimmer to be their new head coach back in 2020, so it wouldn’t come as a surprise if they brought him back to be their defensive coordinator for next season if current Dallas defensive coordinator Dan Quinn leaves this year for a head coaching gig elsewhere.
Jacksonville Jaguars
- As a head coach
Around this time about a year ago, the Jacksonville Jaguars were introducing Urban Meyer as the team’s new head coach. Fast forward to now, Meyer has already been fired by the Jaguars and the team is, once again, in need of a new head coach.
Mike Zimmer doesn’t have any significant ties to Jacksonville, but he’s already proven in the past that he can take a team from the bottom of the barrel and turn them into a respectable franchise like he did in his first few years with the Vikings.
Hiring Zimmer to be their head coach would be a complete 180 for the Jaguars compared to what they just experienced with Meyer leading their team.
Jacksonville has some talented young players to build around like quarterback Trevor Lawrence and pass rusher Josh Allen, they’re projected to have almost $70 million in cap space during the upcoming offseason, and they already have 12 picks in the 2022 NFL Draft which will include either the first or second overall selection.
Zimmer could just be someone to help the Jaguars get back on track, and after what they just went through with Meyer during the last few months, that might be all they’re looking for.
Denver Broncos
- As a head coach or defensive coordinator
The Denver Broncos seems like a logical destination for Mike Zimmer if he’s done with the Vikings since former Minnesota assistant general manager, George Paton, is now the general manager of the Broncos.
However, Denver hiring Zimmer to be their defensive coordinator for next season is more believable than them bringing him in to be their next head coach.
If the Broncos are going to be in need of a new head coach this year, it’s going to be due to a decision to fire Vic Fangio. It would be a little odd for Denver to move on from a guy with a defensive background who’s in his mid-60s to someone with similar characteristics like Zimmer.
But with the connection to Paton, Zimmer is probably already on a shortlist the Broncos have in mind as possible new defensive coordinators to be on the staff of whoever they decide to hire as their next head coach if they move on from Fangio.