On Monday morning, the Vikings made what might have been the most sweeping set of leadership changes in the Wilf family's 16 years of owning the team.
The team fired coach Mike Zimmer and General Manager Rick Spielman on Monday morning, parting with two men who'd been in their positions longer than most of their peers around the NFL. Both Zimmer and Spielman had two years remaining on the contract extensions they signed in 2020, but a day after the team finished 8-9 and missed the playoffs for the second straight season, the Vikings opted for a total reset.
"This morning we met with Rick Spielman and Mike Zimmer to notify them we will be moving in a different direction at the general manager and head coach positions in 2022," co-owners Zygi and Mark Wilf said in a statement. "We appreciate Rick and Mike's commitment to the team's on-field success, their passion for making a positive impact in our community and their dedication to players, coaches and staff. While these decisions are not easy, we believe it is time for new leadership to elevate our team so we can consistently contend for championships. We wish both Rick and Mike and their families only the best.
Our comprehensive search for a new general manager and head coach will begin immediately and will be led internally. We are determined to have sustained success and bring Vikings fans the Super Bowl championships they expect and deserve."
I said from day one of the 2021 season that Zimmer would be gone if the Vikings missed the postseason. So when the Vikes were trounced by the Green Bay Packers in Week 17, thus officially eliminating them from playoff contention, this was a fait accompli. That said, I never got a good feel if Spielman would survive. If there were any rumors surrounding his job status, the conventional wisdom suggested he'd be removed as GM but remain with the club in a different capacity given the Wilfs' great admiration of him. But gassing Spielman was ultimately the right move.
The pressure is on the Wilfs to get this GM hire right but this was absolutely the right move. I really thought Spielman would stay with a new title but this opens the door now for GM candidates who would have been concerned about Spielman's influence.
— Judd Zulgad (@jzulgad) January 10, 2022
So the big question now is how attractive these vacancies will be to prospective hires. The Vikings have a lot of good young talent on the offensive side of the ball, but it appears they're going to have to (AGAIN!) go back to square one at the quarterback position.
So, what happens with Kirk Cousins now?
— Phil Mackey 🎙 (@PhilMackey) January 10, 2022
I can tell you this... There is *zero* chance a new GM/coach combo walks in and says, "Let's extend him for 3 years and attach our careers to Kirk Cousins."
So, he's getting traded.
It was the worse kept secret in the NFL that Zimmer was not enthused over signing Cousins to a 3-year, fully guaranteed contract prior to the 2018 season. Unless Cousins suddenly morphed into Tom Brady, Patrick Mahomes or Aaron Rodgers, committing 13% or more (as of 2022 it'll be 21.6%) of the team's salary cap to one player was going to hamstring the club long term. While Cousins has put up fine numbers in his four seasons with the Vikings, he was abysmal in late-game situations where his team trailed by one score. As such, this one move in early 2018 ultimately cost the GM and head coach their jobs.
As it stands right now, the Vikes are approximately $22 million over the salary cap, so some key veterans on defense (i.e. Danielle Hunter, Anthony Barr, Harrison Smith) may well be cap casualties, resulting in a rebuild of that unit. So while the immediate future appears questionable at best, the right hires could expedite the rebuilding process. So who are the potential coaching candidates? Mark Craig at the Star Tribune put together a comprehensive list.
In the end, it appeared Spielman and Zimmer differed in their philosophy on what was best for the team moving forward. So with the Wilfs now having a clean slate, they have ample opportunity to bring in a more cohesive decision making unit. Don't screw this up, Zygi and Mark.
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