The Vikings haven’t announced that Mike Zimmer is their new head coach, but enough players have tweeted their excitement about the reported move to make it about as official as it gets.
With Zimmer in, the next question is who the assistant coaches will be. Adam Caplan reported on Wednesday that Bengals linebackers coach Paul Guenther could join Zimmer in Minnesota as the new defensive coordinator, but he’s accepted the same position to stay in Cincinnati, according to ESPN.
Norv Turner could end up in Minnesota as the new offensive coordinator. Adam Schefter reported that the Vikings have received permission to interview Turner for the job. He’s currently the offensive coordinator of the Cleveland Browns.
Over at the Daily Norseman, the word is that Turner would be a significant upgrade over Bill Musgrave, who is still employed by the Vikings.
Vikings fullback Jerome Felton believes Turner would make a good coordinator.
Jerome Felton on Norv Turner possible OC: “He does a good job of adapting to personnel… If he is the OC, I think that would be a good thing"
— Chris Tomasson (@christomasson) January 15, 2014
What happens to the coaches currently signed on with the Vikings is unknown, but all of the rumors are looking at who will become new coordinators, not at whether Zimmer would elect to keep defensive coordinator Alan Williams or Musgrave around – which is typical when a new head coach is hired in the NFL.
Former Vikings offensive coordinator Scott Linehan now runs the Lions’ offense. He’s been linked to Zimmer, so his name is one to keep an eye on.
