Yahoo Finance Vikings reportedly close to finalizing extension with head coach Mike Zimmer
The Minnesota Vikings appear close to extending the contract of head coach Mike Zimmer, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Media. And this time, it will not be a one-year add-on.
The #Vikings are finalizing a multi-year contract extension with coach Mike Zimmer, per sources.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) July 22, 2020
According to The Athletic’s Chad Graff, Zimmer has agreed to terms on the new deal.
It took longer than expected, but Mike Zimmer got the multi-year deal he’d been seeking. Agrees to terms on a new contract the day before rookies are scheduled to report for training camp.@TomPelissero was first on the news.
— Chad Graff (@ChadGraff) July 22, 2020
Zimmer’s current deal was set to expire following the 2020 season after a year was tacked on last February. The 64-year-old head coach now won’t be headed into a lame-duck season.
In his six seasons at the helm of the Vikings, Zimmer is 57-38-1 and has three postseason appearances and two playoff wins. The Vikings beat the New Orleans Saints in overtime of a wild-card game at New Orleans last season before falling to the eventual NFC champion San Francisco 49ers the following year.
Zimmer is the third-winningest coach in Vikings history, trailing only Hall of Famer Bud Grant and Dennis Green.
There was buzz that Zimmer could be a candidate for the Dallas Cowboys’ opening this offseason, having cut his teeth as a longtime assistant in Dallas, including seven years as the Cowboys’ defensive coordinator. The job instead went to Zimmer’s former NFC North rival, Mike McCarthy.
When Vikings owners Zygi and Mark Wilf issued a statement of support prior to last season’s playoffs, there was optimism that the duo of Zimmer and general manager Rick Spielman would be sticking around together for a while. And now that Zimmer’s deal is close to extending, that partnership looks alive for at least another year and likely longer.
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