It took almost all of Wednesday for the Vikings to confirm that former Cincinnati defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer would be their new head coach, but the Purple finally announced it late Wednesday.
In a statement released by the Vikings, owner Zygi Wlf expressed his jubilation surrounding the hire:
“We are excited to welcome Mike as the new leader of the Minnesota Vikings. He has a proven track record of success at every stop in the NFL and we look forward to him maintaining that consistency here in Minnesota.”
Zimmer was quoted in the release as well:
“I’m grateful to the Wilf family, [G.M.] Rick Spielman and the entire Vikings organization for giving me an opportunity to join a franchise with such a strong tradition and an extremely passionate fan base. I believe in a disciplined and physical brand of football and I look forward to getting to work on leading a team capable of long-term success.”
Zimmer has served as the Bengals defensive coordinator the past six seasons, leading a unit that finished in the top-10 in football in both points allowed and yards allowed each of the last three seasons.
Despite making the playoffs in four of his six seasons with Cincinnati, Zimmer did not win a playoff game, getting bounced in the Wild Card round in 2009, 2011, 2012, and 2013.
He has never been a head coach at the collegiate or pro level.
