HC Mike Zimmer, GM Rick Spielman to Return to Vikings, Per Owner Mark Wilf

The Vikings brass can breathe a bit easier heading into Sunday's Wild Card Weekend matchup with the New Orleans Saints knowing their jobs are safe whether they win or lose. 

Minnesota owner and president Mark Wilf announced Friday he will retain head coach Mike Zimmer and general manager Rick Spielman next season. 

"We value Mike and Rick's leadership and we have every intent of Mike continuing as the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings and Rick leading our football operations, next year and beyond," Wilf said in a statement.

Zimmer is 57-38 in six seasons with Minnesota, with two NFC North titles and three playoff appearances on his resume. Spielman has been with the Vikings since 2006, serving as GM since 2012. 

This season certainly challenged the Vikings in new ways as star wideout Stefon Diggs seemed close to forcing his way out of Minnesota early in the year. That was mostly due to his rapport, or lack thereof, with quarterback Kirk Cousins. The team eventually shook off a 2-2 start to finish 10-6 with a third playoff appearance in five seasons as Diggs and Cousins worked through their issues.

In Spielman's case, the GM has continually brought generational talent to Minnesota, even if the team hasn't always found the best ways to utilize it. Adrian Peterson, Percy Harvin, Matt Kalil, Sharrif Floyd, Anthony Barr, Jerick McKinnon, Teddy Bridgewater, Dalvin Cook and Diggs were all drafted by Spielman and became impact players. 

That both men are wanted in Minnesota by Wilf may not ward off any teams from trying to poach one or both. Multiple teams are still searching for a head coach for the 2020 season, including the Carolina Panthers and New York Giants. 

Still, the most pressing issue for Zimmer and Spielman is advancing past the Saints on Sunday. Zimmer has yet to get his teams to the Super Bowl, having advanced to the NFC Championship game just once with Minnesota—a 38-7 drubbing in 2018 at the hands of a Philadelphia Eagles team that won the Super Bowl a few weeks later.

Consistency has also been an issue for the Vikings with the team alternating between middling and competitive seasons over the past few years. That's where Wilf will have to trust that Year 7 of Zimmer and Spielman will deviate from the norm and produce consecutive playoff appearances for the first time in the duo's tenure.