Minnesota Vikings
On January 15, 2014, Zimmer earned his first head coaching position when the Minnesota Vikings hired him to replace Leslie Frazier. Zimmer was the 9th head coach in Vikings history. [7]
Zimmer earned his first win as the Vikings' head coach on September 7, 2014, against the St. Louis Rams, with a score of 34–6. He ended his first year with a 7–9 record, an improvement over the team's 2013 record of 5–10–1, and the best record for a first-year head coach in the Minnesota Vikings franchise since Dennis Green in 1992.
In 2015, Zimmer improved on his 2014 record by ending the season with a record of 11–5 and winning the NFC North, ending Green Bay's streak of four consecutive division titles and giving the Vikings their first since 2009. [8] At TCF Bank Stadium, the Vikings lost the wild-card playoff round to the Seattle Seahawks 10–9 while playing in subzero temperatures and the third-coldest game in NFL history. [9] [10]
On July 28, 2016, Zimmer signed a contract extension with the Vikings. Terms of the contract were not disclosed.
Zimmer suffered a detached retina during the October 31, 2016 Monday Night Football game against the Chicago Bears. On a windy night at Soldier Field, the edge of Zimmer's playcard, which was laminated, blew into his eye. Zimmer underwent emergency eye surgery on November 30, 2016, forcing him to miss the Vikings' Thursday Night Football game against the Dallas Cowboys. Special teams coach Mike Priefer served as interim coach for the game. [11] Zimmer finished the 2016 NFL season with a record of 8–8 and the Vikings failed to make the playoffs.
In 2017, Zimmer led the Vikings to one of the greatest seasons in franchise history. The Vikings finished 13–3, tallying the seventh-best regular season record in franchise history in terms of win percentage, and the second-best 16-game regular season record in franchise history. Only the 1998 Vikings hold a better record, at 15–1. In the playoffs, the 2017 Vikings beat the New Orleans Saints in the divisional round with a last-second touchdown pass from Case Keenum to Stefon Diggs, which became known as the "Minneapolis Miracle". [12] They then lost the NFC Championship game to the eventual Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles.
On September 9, 2018, Zimmer became the fourth head coach in Minnesota Vikings history to get 40 wins. The Vikings finished the 2018 season with a record of 8–7–1 and failed to make the playoffs after losing a "win-and-in" game to the Chicago Bears during the final week of the season.
On February 27, 2019, the Vikings exercised their option to keep Zimmer through 2020. On October 24, 2019, Zimmer became just the third coach to surpass 52 franchise wins, surpassing Jerry Burns; trailing only Dennis Green (97) and longtime coach Bud Grant (158). [13]
The Vikings were able to return to the postseason in 2019. After upsetting the New Orleans Saints in the wild-card round, winning 26–20 in overtime, Minnesota fell to the top-seeded San Francisco 49ers in the divisional round, 27–10.
In late July 2020, Zimmer signed a three-year contract extension. [14]
Hampered by injuries and opt-outs by many starting defensive players (including defensive end Danielle Hunter missing the entire 2020 season with a neck injury and new free-agent acquisition Michael Pierce opting out of the season due to COVID-19), the Vikings suffered a 'down year' with a 7–9 record in 2020, missing the playoffs and finishing third in the NFC North. This was Zimmer's first losing season as a head coach since 2014.
The 2021 season produced similar results to the 2020 campaign finishing with an 8–9 record. On January 10, 2022, Zimmer was fired as head coach of the Minnesota Vikings, ending his eight-year tenure with the team. Zimmer finished his tenure with the Vikings with a 74–59–1 (.556) record which includes a 2–3 (.400) playoff record in eight seasons with the Vikings. [15]
