It was a disappointing year, to say the least for the Minnesota Vikings, and now the team has decided to clean house.
The Vikings announced this morning that they are parting ways with head coach Mike Zimmer along with general manager Rick Spielman.
The #Vikings fired coach Mike Zimmer, per sources.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 10, 2022
The #Vikings fired GM Rick Spielman, per sources.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 10, 2022
The Vikings have under-performed this season, finishing at 8-9 despite some solid numbers by quarterback Kirk Cousins, who threw for 33 touchdowns with only 7 interceptions.
The defense has been an issue for most of the season, which is most of the reason Zimmer was fired given he came into the job with his expertise on the defensive side of the ball.
The Vikings were in position for much of the season to be a playoff team but lost costly games including a last-second loss to the Detroit Lions for their first victory of the season.
Here are some reactions around the league of the moves that the Vikings made this morning.
Thankful for everything, but it needed to happen. Best wishes Mike 💜 https://t.co/Cqtevlw5V2
— Wyatt (@WyattzWorId) January 10, 2022
The Mike Zimmer era is over in Minnesota https://t.co/22V7tFlqaP
— Lily Zhao (@LilySZhao) January 10, 2022
Axed both Zimmer and the GM.
Black Monday is here. https://t.co/HyMJ1ASw2v
— Patrik [No C] Walker (@VoiceOfTheStar) January 10, 2022
Both Zimmer and Spielman had long tenures with the Minnesota Vikings, but it was clear to the ownership in Minnesota that changes were needed following back-to-back seasons without a playoff appearance.
Here is a statement from the Minnesota Vikings ownership group regarding the two firings.
Statement from the #Vikings ownership group pic.twitter.com/QoCsknmhzB
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) January 10, 2022
While there is no exact direction that it looks like the Vikings will go, there have been some rumblings that Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffen could be a candidate for the new position.
Not attempting to break any news, but there has been consistent chatter from many corners of football circles about…
Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin https://t.co/xtBlPPcKBH
— Brad Spielberger, Esq. (@PFF_Brad) January 10, 2022
It would make sense for the Vikings to bring in an offensive guru to capitalize on the great offensive pieces that the Vikings have, but something will certainly need to be done about the defense for this team to have any success going forward.
