Cowboys DC Mike Zimmer Gives Surprising Reason For Why He Returned to NFL

The Dallas Cowboys enter the 2024 season with a new defensive coordinator after Dan Quinn left to take the head coaching job in Washington. Former Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer filled the role for Dallas, and will be tasked with helping the Cowboys get over the hump.

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Zimmer hasn’t worked in the NFL since 2021, when the Vikings let him go. But he jumped at the chance to return to the sidelines when the Cowboys called.

He revealed why he decided to return to the NFL, citing an interesting reason for doing so.

“Part of the reason for coming back is I have to do this for me because I don’t want people thinking I was a lousy coach,” Zimmer told Mark Craig of the Minnesota Star Tribune. “Somebody told me, ‘You don’t have anything to prove after Minnesota,’ but I felt like I did.”

The track record for Zimmer doesn’t scream “bad head coach.” He led the Vikings to a record of 72-56-1 during his tenure. The team won the NFC North twice while he was at the helm and he even helped them reach the NFC Championship game once.

His teams finished no worse than 11th in defense scoring during his first six seasons but things took a turn for the worse in his final two years. The Vikings’ defense dropped toward the bottom of the NFL, leading to his eventual firing.

He is hoping for another chance at a head coaching role, but knows that he will need to prove himself with the Cowboys to make it happen. Zimmer understands there are no guarantees but is hopeful for his name to be called.

“Guys with worse records than me have gotten second chances, but I don’t see it happening because of my age,” Zimmer said. “And now teams also want whoever can coach the quarterback. It is what it is.”

Luckily for Zimmer, the Cowboys are expected to have a good defensive unit this season. They will be getting All-Pro cornerback Trevon Diggs back from injury, a significant addition to the secondary.

They also have star pass rusher Micah Parsons, who puts fear into opposing offenses each game. All in all, Zimmer has a chance to do something special with this unit.

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