Mike Zimmer will get a chance to pulverize Kirk Cousins next season

After Kirk Cousins officially signed a four-year contract with the Atlanta Falcons last week, some Minnesota Vikings fans pointed out that the veteran quarterback would be returning to the Twin Cities for a game during the 2024 regular season.

But not only will Cousins be returning to Minnesota next season to take on his former team, he's also scheduled to go up against the Dallas Cowboys and their new defensive coordinator, former Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer.

Zimmer wasn't really ever a fan of having an expensive quarterback like Cousins on the Vikings' roster when he was the head coach. So it seems safe to say that the former Minnesota head coach will be looking forward to seeing how many times his Cowboys defense can knock the former Vikings quarterback into the turf.

Former Minnesota Vikings QB Kirk Cousins will face Mike Zimmer and the Dallas Cowboys in 2024

While Zimmer will likely be calling plenty of plays for his Dallas defenders to make life miserable for Cousins next season, the veteran quarterback also has an opportunity to frustrate his former head coach.

The last time we saw Zimmer running a defense was back in 2021 during his final season as Minnesota's head coach. That year, the Vikings' defense finished 24th in the NFL in points allowed per game, 28th in passing yards allowed, 26th in rushing yards allowed, and 30th in total yards allowed.

It certainly wasn't a vintage Zimmer defense, and it led to some wondering if teams around the league had figured out how to beat his scheme.

But the former Minnesota head coach has had two years off to reflect and possibly fix some of the things that were no longer working. Could we potentially see some new wrinkles in Zimmer's scheme during the upcoming season with the Cowboys?

It will be interesting to see where the matchup between Atlanta and Dallas falls on the 2024 regular-season schedule when it's officially released later this year.

If the game is set to take place earlier in the season, then Zimmer might be able to take advantage of Cousins still adjusting to a new offensive scheme. But if the contest ends up landing at some point in the second half of the schedule, then it's possible that the former Vikings quarterback and his new Falcons teammates would be tougher to defeat.

Whenever the game is, it's sure to be entertaining, and it's safe to say that plenty of Minnesota fans will be tuning in to watch what could potentially be an epic battle between Zimmer and Cousins.