End of an Era: Vikings moving on from Mike Zimmer and Rick Spielman

After eight seasons together, the Minnesota Vikings have decided to fire head coach Mike Zimmer and general manager Rick Spielman.

As they were preparing for the 2021 regular-season finale against the Chicago Bears, most assumed that the Minnesota Vikings were going to part ways with head coach Mike Zimmer on Monday after eight years with the franchise.

The Vikings have indeed decided to move on from Zimmer, but, in a bit of a shocking decision, the team has also relieved general manager Rick Spielman of his duties.

Minnesota will now need to hire a new head coach for the first time since 2014 and a new general manager for the first time since 2012.

Was firing Mike Zimmer and Rick Spielman the right decision for the Minnesota Vikings?

Spielman being shown the door is definitely the most surprising move of the day for the Vikings as most expected him to be given another role in the front office if the team no longer wanted him as their general manager.

But Minnesota was obviously ready to move on from his influence completely and start a new era for the franchise.

Together, Zimmer and Spielman were able to help the Vikings experience a bunch of success during the last handful of years. However, the combination of Zimmer’s defense declining and multiple roster decisions by Spielman not panning out during the last two seasons has ultimately resulted in their exit.

What’s next for Minnesota? That is something we will all have to wait and find out. But what we can guarantee is that this franchise is going to look very different in the very near future.