Minnesota Vikings GM Rick Spielman announced on Thursday afternoon that Mike Zimmer had been extended as the team’s head coach. Terms of the extension were not disclosed.
Per a press release, “Zimmer led the Vikings to an 11-5 record and the club’s first NFC North Championship since 2009 last season. Zimmer holds an 18-14 record in his two seasons as a head coach, the second-most wins by a Viking head coach his first two season trailing only Dennis Green who had 20 wins.”
Zygi Wilf, Owner/Chairman: “Mike has instilled a very positive atmosphere over the past three years and our players have thrived under his tutelage and leadership. His focus on helping our players develop and maximize potential, individually and collectively, is critical for our current and future success. We believe the continuity established with Mike leading our football team is a very positive step for our organization.”
Mark Wilf, Owner/President: “We are very excited about the direction of our football team with Mike Zimmer as our head coach. His leadership and the strong partnership he has with Rick Spielman has helped transform the culture of our football team. They have established a positive identity for this team with tough minded, disciplined, and smart football players and we believe Mike’s continued leadership bodes very well for our future.”
Mike Zimmer, Head Coach: “I’m extremely grateful to the Wilfs and to Rick. They kind of came to us and wanted to get it done. They really didn’t have to; there was nothing that was pushing this deal. I feel very, very fortunate to be coach of the Vikings. It’s a great organization with a lot of great people, and there’s no way that we could have the success that we’ve had to this point without the help of the people in the front office, people in the business and all those things. It’s good to get done now and get a chance to move forward.”
Rick Spielman, GM: “Over the past two years, Coach Zimmer’s leadership, his passion, his ability to prepare this football team, has shown the results on the field. He’s assembled a great coaching staff. They are great developers of the young talent that we have on this football team, and they prepare our team week in and week out to go and play the best football we can. When we hired Coach Zim I sat down with him, we talked about philosophy, we put a plan in place and we had the same vision. In my 26 years in the NFL, I have not had the experience and the cohesiveness with a head coach as I do with Coach Zimmer.”
