Dallas Cowboys finally come to terms with Mike Zimmer as their new defensive coordinator
The Dallas Cowboys decided last week that former Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer would be the team’s new defensive coordinator, replacing the Dan Quinn, who became head coach of the Washington Commanders.
The deal did not get done until Monday due to a hangup in negotiations, per a source.
And it fostered a few days of drama.
ESPN NFL analyst Rex Ryan, the former Patriots and Jets head coach who was interviewed for the job, first announced that Zimmer was not done during a Super Bowl pre-game show on Sunday.
ESPN reporter Adam Schefter reported on Monday that the Cowboys loved Ryan and team reached back out to Ryan in the midst of the Zimmer hold out.
Multiple Cowboys sources said confirmed earlier Monday that nothing was done on Zimmer.
Ryan said on the show that he was the one who reached out to the Cowboys and coach Mike McCarthy about replacing Quinn.
Ryan has been out of coaching since 2016 but he said the Cowboys are close to winning a title and it’s the only job he would be interested in.
“The reason I was out for seven years was I had never called another head coach,” Ryan said. “I called Mike McCarthy. The reason I did is because I want to be on this [Super Bowl] stage if I’m going to get back into coaching, to have a chance at that. I think with this roster the way it is, I think offensively and special teams and defense -- I can be a little bit of an upgrade -- the team could be right here [at the Super Bowl]. That’s why I was interested. I would only go [back to coaching] at the right situation. If it’s not completely right, I’m not going. This team, it is interesting, because they are so close to getting over that edge, and that’s why I think people would be interested in this job.”
Of course, the Cowboys got their man in the end and one they are familiar with.
Zimmer, 67, was a Cowboys assistant coach from 1994-2006, starting as a defensive assistant, moving to defensive backs in 1995, the last year Dallas won a Super Bowl, and serving as the coordinator from 2000-06 under two different head coaches, Dave Campo (2000-02) and Bill Parcells (2003-06).
Zimmer coached the Vikings from 2014-2021 and is very familiar with Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy when he was the coach of the Green Bay Packers.
Zimmer will take over a Cowboys defense that finished fifth in yards and points per game in 2023 but was exposed against the run.
Getting better in the middle of the defensive line and at linebacker is a must for Zimmer, who will inherit one of the league’s best pass rushers in Micah Parsons and two Pro Bowl cornerbacks in DaRon Bland and Trevon Diggs.
This story was originally published February 12, 2024 at 12:38 PM.
