Which Minnesota Vikings players from Mike Zimmer’s tenure as the team’s head coach should be regarded as one of the franchise’s 53 best to take the field?
Earlier this year, the Minnesota Vikings made the decision to move on from Mike Zimmer as their head coach after eight seasons.
In the time since Zimmer’s departure, many discussions have been had about what went wrong at the end of his tenure. However, the Vikings were also able to experience a bunch of success during the last eight years as well. So not everything was as bad as some might be trying to currently make everyone believe.
During Zimmer’s eight years with Minnesota, the team won 56 percent of their regular-season matchups, they won the NFC North twice, they earned three trips to the postseason, they won two playoff games, and they were a win away from playing in the Super Bowl during the 2017 campaign.
A number of players contributed to the success the Vikings were able to achieve during Zimmer’s tenure with the team. Which current and former members of Minnesota’s roster should be included on the all-time 53-man roster from the era of the franchise that had Zimmer leading the way?
Quarterbacks
QB1 – Kirk Cousins
As much as Kirk Cousins is the subject of constant debate, he was easily the most talented quarterback to suit up for the Vikings during Mike Zimmer’s tenure. No signal-caller threw for more yards or touchdowns during the Zimmer era than Cousins.
Unfortunately, Minnesota was only able to turn those stats into just one playoff appearance during Zimmer and Cousins’ four years together.
QB2 – Case Keenum
Case Keenum not only helped lead the Vikings to their highest single-season win total in the Zimmer era, but he also threw the most touchdowns in one season among all of the Minnesota quarterbacks not named Kirk Cousins during the head coach’s eight years with the team.
QB3 – Teddy Bridgewater
If not for Blair Walsh’s infamous miss in 2015, Teddy Bridgewater would have been the first of three quarterbacks to lead the Vikings to a playoff win during the Zimmer era.
We will always wonder what could have been if not for Bridgewater’s devastating knee injury in 2016 because, at times, he felt like the perfect signal-caller for the type of team Minnesota’s former head coach wanted to put out on the field.
Running Backs
RB1 – Dalvin Cook
Some might wonder why Adrian Peterson isn’t the top running back from the Mike Zimmer era, but he only really had one good season during his time with the head coach.
No Vikings running back rushed for more yards, scored more touchdowns, or caught more passes than Dalvin Cook during Zimmer’s tenure with the franchise. Cook is an easy choice for the top spot in this position group.
RB2 – Adrian Peterson
Despite Cook being the leading rusher during the Zimmer era, Peterson was the only running back during the former head coach’s time with the team to end a season as the leading rusher in the entire NFL.
Peterson finished with more rushing yards than any other player in the league in 2015, an accomplishment that ultimately resulted in the fourth and final First-Team All-Pro selection of his career.
RB3 – Jerick McKinnon
Believe it or not, Cook is the only Minnesota player to rush for more yards than Jerick McKinnon during Zimmer’s tenure as the team’s head coach.
McKinnon was a great change-of-pace back who did well at filling in for guys like Cook and Peterson when they went down with injuries.
RB4 – Latavius Murray
Behind only Cook and Peterson, Latavius Murray ranked third among Vikings in rushing yards per game during the Zimmer era. Murray was only with Minnesota for two seasons, but he made the most of his opportunities, including finding the end zone 14 times during his time in purple.
FB – C.J. Ham
This is the Zimmer era, so you know we had to include a fullback. C.J. Ham first got significant playing time in 2017, and during the 2019 season, he became the first Vikings fullback to earn a Pro Bowl selection since Jerome Felton in 2012.
Wide Receivers
WR1 – Justin Jefferson
Justin Jefferson exploded out of the gate during the final two years of the Mike Zimmer era in Minnesota. Jefferson broke multiple Vikings and NFL records in his two seasons under Zimmer, not that the former head coach even cared.
WR2 – Stefon Diggs
Stefon Diggs emerged in 2015 as a fiery rookie that had an in-your-face playing style that fit in well with the roster that Zimmer wanted in his locker room.
Diggs’ impressive abilities probably weren’t used as much as they should have been during the Zimmer era. However, no other Minnesota receiver caught more passes, gained more receiving yards, or found the end zone more than Diggs did during his five years with the franchise (2015 to 2019).
WR3 – Adam Thielen
In terms of career receiving numbers during the Zimmer era, Adam Thielen is at the top of the list. Thielen first got his start under the former Vikings head coach as a special teamer. Then he got multiple opportunities to start at receiver in 2016 and he never looked back.
WR4 – Jarius Wright
At the No. 4 spot is the guy who ranks fourth in receiving yards among Minnesota wide receivers during the Zimmer era. Jarius Wright never put up monster numbers during his time under the former Vikings head coach, but he always seemed to get open whenever his quarterbacks needed an important third-down conversion.
WR5/KR – Cordarrelle Patterson
If Zimmer were making this roster, he probably would have just gone with four receivers. But to leave off one of the best kick returners in NFL history would feel like a giant mistake.
Speaking of mistakes, Minnesota’s former head coach probably wishes he was able to utilize Cordarrelle Patterson’s skills in a better way like other teams were able to do after the receiver’s departure from the Twin Cities in 2017.
Tight Ends
TE1 – Kyle Rudolph
Easily the most productive Vikings tight end during the Mike Zimmer era, Kyle Rudolph’s 33 touchdown catches actually ranks second among all Minnesota players during the former head coach’s time with the team.
TE2 – Tyler Conklin
It took him until Zimmer’s final year with the Vikings to blossom, but Tyler Conklin made the most of his opportunity to be the team’s top tight end in 2021. Conklin’s 593 yards and 61 catches during the 2021 campaign both ranked as the third-highest single-season totals by a Minnesota tight end during the Zimmer era.
TE3 – Irv Smith Jr.
With the Vikings since 2019, Irv Smith Jr. was only on the field for two of his three years with Zimmer thanks to a significant knee injury before the 2021 season. Despite his absence last year, Smith’s seven touchdown catches still rank second among all Minnesota tight ends during the Zimmer era.
TE4 – Rhett Ellison
You’re probably more familiar with his dad than him, but Rhett Ellison was a productive, complementary tight end to Rudolph during Zimmer’s first few years with the Vikings. We also could not make a 53-man roster from the Zimmer era without including a blocking tight end.
Offensive Line
LT – Riley Reiff
Riley Reiff wasn’t exactly a legendary blindside blocker during his time with the Vikings under Mike Zimmer, but he was solid, and he got the job done for the most part in his career with Minnesota.
LG – Brandon Fusco
Brandon Fusco spent the majority of his tenure with the Vikings as a right guard. However, Fusco’s best performance during the Zimmer era was arguably when he spent the 2015 season as Minnesota’s starting left guard, so that’s where he’ll line up on this roster.
C – Joe Berger
Another player who spent a bunch of time at right guard during his career with the Vikings, Joe Berger also performed well when he was asked to start at center for the purple and gold. Berger was going to be on this roster no matter what, but he ends up as the starting center thanks to Minnesota’s lack of talent at the position during the majority of the Zimmer era.
RG – Josh Kline
Josh Kline’s time with the Vikings in 2019 turned out to be his only season with the purple and gold. His performance with Minnesota wasn’t exactly mind-blowing, but with Fusco and Berger taking up other spots in this lineup, Kline is the best option remaining
RT – Brian O’Neill
Easily the best offensive lineman to play for the Vikings during the Zimmer era and it’s not even close. Brian O’Neill was Minnesota’s starting right tackle during the former head coach’s final four years with the franchise, and last season, he was voted to the Pro Bowl for the first time in his career.
Reserves
John Sullivan – C
John Sullivan was the starting center for the Vikings during Zimmer’s first year with the team and he was arguably the best. Unfortunately, injury concerns only limited Sullivan to just one season with Minnesota during the Zimmer era.
Ezra Cleveland – OG
Ezra Cleveland was thrown into the fire as a rookie in 2020, but he held his own and he impressed the Vikings enough in 2021 to take over as the team’s starting left guard. In a group full of terrible guards from Zimmer’s tenure, including Cleveland on this roster was not a difficult decision to make.
Mike Remmers – T/G
Mike Remmers being on this roster should tell you all you need to know about the quality of offensive lineman that graced the field for Minnesota during the Zimmer era. Remmers was pretty average during his time with the Vikings, but average was good enough to stand out when it came to offensive lineman from Zimmer’s tenure with the team.
Rashod Hill – OT
Rashod Hill was Minnesota’s swing tackle for six of Zimmer’s eight seasons with the franchise, so that’s the role he has been given on this roster.
Defensive Ends
DE1 – Everson Griffen
The heartbeat of the Vikings’ defense for the majority of Mike Zimmer’s tenure as the team’s head coach, Everson Griffen accumulated more sacks than any other Minnesota player during the Zimmer era.
DE2 – Danielle Hunter
Danielle Hunter began his career with the Vikings as a rotational pass rusher in Zimmer’s defense. Fast forward to the end of the former head coach’s tenure in Minnesota and Hunter is now one of the best pass rushers to ever suit up in purple and gold.
DE3 – Brian Robison
As a starter during the first three years of the Zimmer era, Brian Robison was willing to do whatever was needed to help transform the Vikings’ defense into one of the NFL’s best units. Robison was never one to care about sack numbers, but whenever he was able to bring an opposing quarterback down, he always made sure to let everyone watching know that he had “reeled them in“.
DE4 – Ifeadi Odenigbo
Speaking of sack celebrations, Ifeadi Odenigbo had one of the more underrated ones during his time with Minnesota and Zimmer. Whenever Odenigbo would come up with a sack, he would celebrate by whipping out an imaginary sword and stabbing it into the turf.
DE5 – Stephen Weatherly
Known more for his unique hobbies off of the field, Stephen Weatherly was a solid situational pass rusher for the Vikings during the Zimmer era. Minnesota attempted to use a variety of different rotational pass rushers under their former head coach, but Weatherly was definitely one of the best non-starters of the bunch.
Defensive Tackles
DT1 – Linval Joseph
One of Minnesota’s biggest (literally) free-agent signings of the Mike Zimmer era was when they added Linval Joseph to the roster.
Joseph was a solid defensive tackle before he joined the Vikings. But it was in Minnesota where he really thrived as a force in the middle of the defensive line as he earned the only two Pro Bowl selections of his career while he was in purple and gold.
DT2 – Sheldon Richardson
Along with Kirk Cousins, Sheldon Richardson was brought in through free agency in 2018 to help the Vikings get over the hump and into the Super Bowl.
Well, Minnesota didn’t even make the playoffs during Richardson’s first year with the team. Still, the veteran defensive tackle had one of his best seasons as a pro while he was with Zimmer and the Vikings in 2018.
Minnesota enjoyed their time with Richardson so much that they signed him during free agency again in 2021 after the defensive tackle spent the 2019 and 2020 seasons as a member of the Cleveland Browns.
DT3 – Tom Johnson
Tom Johnson is probably one of the most underrated Vikings players from the Zimmer era. Johnson excelled the most with Minnesota as a rotational piece of their defensive line.
DT4 – Sharrif Floyd
Like Teddy Bridgewater, Sharrif Floyd’s tenure with the Vikings has a giant “what if?” stamped across it.
Floyd was developing into a solid tag-team partner for Joseph in the middle of Minnesota’s defensive line. If not for a botched surgery in 2016, Floyd might have been one of the longest-tenured members of the Vikings during the Zimmer era.
Linebackers
LB1 – Anthony Barr
The very first draft pick of the Mike Zimmer era in Minnesota, Anthony Barr remained in purple for the entire tenure of the team’s former head coach.
During his college career, Barr was more of a pass rusher. But under Zimmer, he developed into more of an all-around linebacker. The transformation resulted in four Pro Bowl selections for the veteran defender.
LB2 – Eric Kendricks
Barr’s college teammate at UCLA, Eric Kendricks quickly emerged as a top linebacker for the Vikings in 2015. With a knack for finding his way to the opposing ball carrier more often than not, no other Minnesota player had more tackles during the Zimmer era than Kendricks.
LB3 – Chad Greenway
A tackling machine for so many seasons before Zimmer was hired in 2014, Chad Greenway was nearing the end of his career when the Zimmer era began for the Vikings. Despite his time in the NFL coming to a close during the early portion of Zimmer’s time in Minnesota, Greenway is still one of the best linebackers to suit up for the franchise since 2014.
LB4 – Eric Wilson
After fighting his way onto the Vikings’ roster as an undrafted rookie in 2017, Eric Wilson established himself as a factor on special teams during his first few years under Zimmer. Then after Barr went down early in the 2020 season, Wilson wound up getting a starting opportunity that he made the most of.
His 122 tackles in 2020 were the second-most tackles in a single season by a Minnesota player during the Zimmer era.
LB5 – Ben Gedeon
Like Wilson, Ben Gedeon spent most of his time with Zimmer and the Vikings on special teams. Gedeon was a solid special teamer, and in 2018, he set his single-season career-high in tackles when he finished with 53.
Cornerbacks
CB1 – Xavier Rhodes
Xavier Rhodes was a dream that fell into Mike Zimmer’s lap when he was hired by the Vikings in 2014. Under Zimmer, Rhodes developed into one of the NFL’s best corners who could shutdown almost any opposing wide receiver he went against.
CB2 – Patrick Peterson
Working with Zimmer was one of the main reasons why Patrick Peterson signed with Minnesota in 2021. Peterson was only with the Vikings for one season of the Zimmer era, but the team’s former head coach certainly played a key part in helping the veteran cornerback get his career back on track last year.
CB3 – Trae Waynes
Trae Waynes was never able to develop into the Pro Bowl-caliber player that Minnesota was hoping for when they used a first-round pick on him in 2015. However, Waynes held his own once he became a full-time starter in 2017, and the Vikings’ secondary was definitely hurting after his departure in 2020.
CB4 – Terence Newman
At 37-years-old, not much was expected of Terence Newman when he signed with Minnesota in 2015. But then Newman went out and started all 16 games for a Vikings defense that finished the 2015 season allowing the fifth-fewest points per matchup in the NFL.
CB5 – Captain Munnerlyn
One of Minnesota’s first free-agent signings after Zimmer was hired, Captain Munnerlyn was a fixture in the slot during the former head coach’s first three years with the team. Munnerlyn played a key role in helping the Vikings and Zimmer transform one of the league’s worst pass defenses into one of the best in 2014.
CB6/PR – Marcus Sherels
Marcus Sherels certainly isn’t on this roster for his pass coverage skills. However, Sherels is arguably the best punt returner in Minnesota history, so a spot on this squad was definitely necessary.
Safeties
SAF1 – Harrison Smith
Mike Zimmer turning the Vikings’ defense into one of the NFL’s best units likely wouldn’t have been possible without the help of Harrison Smith. The second-leading tackler in the Zimmer era, Smith earned six trips to the Pro Bowl and one First-Team All-Pro selection during his time working with Minnesota’s former head coach.
SAF2 – Anthony Harris
Anthony Harris waited patiently for his opportunity to start for the Vikings. When he was given the chance to be a full-time starter in 2019, all Harris did was go out and finish with an NFL-leading six interceptions.
SAF3 – Andrew Sendejo
Known for his reckless tackling style out on the field, Andrew Sendejo was able to experience the most success of his NFL career when Zimmer was the head coach in Minnesota.
SAF4 – Jayron Kearse
A seventh-round pick by the Vikings in 2016, Jayron Kearse was a top special teamer during the Zimmer era. Later in his tenure with Minnesota, he got more opportunities to take the field with the defense, and this resulted in Kearse making several big-time plays.
Specialists
K – Kai Forbath
Being a kicker for the Vikings during the Mike Zimmer era definitely wasn’t a fun job. However, Kai Forbath was someone who was able to block out most of the noise from Zimmer and experience some success as Minnesota’s kicker.
Forbath nailed 88.7 percent of his field-goal attempts during his time with the Vikings, which was the best conversion rate by a Minnesota kicker during the Zimmer era.
P – Britton Colquitt
The Vikings also went through a handful of punters during Zimmer’s time as the team’s head coach. Britton Colquitt was someone who was able to last two seasons with Minnesota during the Zimmer era. But it wasn’t just due to his skills as a punter. Colquitt was also a very good holder during his tenure with the Vikings.
LS – Kevin McDermott
You only ever hear about long snappers when they make a mistake and Kevin McDermott didn’t make very many during his four seasons with Minnesota, which is why he was the longest-tenured long snapper of the Zimmer era.