Cowboys Rumors: Former Vikings HC Mike Zimmer Interested in DC Job

Mike Zimmer, who coached the Minnesota Vikings from 2014 to 2021, is reportedly interested in returning to the NFL.

Zimmer is interested in the open position of Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator, according to the Dallas Morning News' Calvin Watkins. He previously held that position from 2000 to 2006.

The Cowboys are looking for someone to replace newly-hired Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn.

The team is open to considering external options, including former Commanders and Carolina Panthers head coach Ron Rivera, according to David Moore of the Dallas Morning News.

In total Zimmer spent 13 years, and worked with four head coaches, with the Cowboys between 1994 and 2006. He was the team's defensive backs coach when Dallas won Super Bowl XXX in 1996.

Zimmer then worked as defensive coordinator for the Atlanta Falcons and Cincinnati Bengals before taking the helm in Minnesota.

In eight seasons as head coach of the Vikings, Zimmer led his team to a 72-56-1 overall record. His tenure was highlighted by a 13-win season in 2017. The Vikings capped off that run by making it as far as the NFC Championship Game, where the team lost to the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Vikings never made it that deep in the playoffs again under Zimmer, and he was fired following his second consecutive losing season in January 2022.

At the time, Zimmer was the seventh-longest tenured head coach in the NFL. A report from The Athletic's Chad Graff later said his exit was due in part to his strained relationship with quarterback Kirk Cousins.

Zimmer then worked as an analyst at Jackson State under head coach Deion Sanders, who played for the Super Bowl-winning Cowboys team during Zimmer's time as defensive backs coach, in 2022.

This is not the first time there have been reports of Zimmer's possible return to the NFL. Ahead of the 2023 season, Zimmer was reportedly connected to open defensive coordinator positions with the Denver Broncos and Arizona Cardinals.

If looking inside the organization, the Cowboys could alternatively consider secondary and defensive passing game coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. Moore identified him as the "top internal candidate" for the position.