Post by Funkytown on Jan 5, 2022 16:10:57 GMT -6
As a second straight disappointing Minnesota Vikings season concludes this weekend without a playoff berth, sources tell The Athletic that franchise ownership is preparing to meet before Sunday’s game to discuss potential changes at the top of the organization and to put together a plan for the coming season. The ownership group, led by Mark and Zygi Wilf, plans to attend the Vikings’ regular-season finale Sunday when the team hosts the Chicago Bears. But they want to move swiftly with whatever their decision is after the season, potentially making a move as soon as Monday.
The Wilfs are historically mum about major moves like the ones they’re considering, so leaks aren’t expected before kickoff on Sunday. But as they prepare to meet, it appears all options are on the table, including firing or reassigning head coach Mike Zimmer and general manager Rick Spielman as the Vikings close out a second consecutive season with a losing record.
The Wilfs’ discussions are expected to center around Spielman and Zimmer, who will coach against the Bears, with the understanding that once those decisions are made, they can move on to other predicaments, namely whether Kirk Cousins will return as the quarterback in 2022.
The Wilfs are historically mum about major moves like the ones they’re considering, so leaks aren’t expected before kickoff on Sunday. But as they prepare to meet, it appears all options are on the table, including firing or reassigning head coach Mike Zimmer and general manager Rick Spielman as the Vikings close out a second consecutive season with a losing record.
The Wilfs’ discussions are expected to center around Spielman and Zimmer, who will coach against the Bears, with the understanding that once those decisions are made, they can move on to other predicaments, namely whether Kirk Cousins will return as the quarterback in 2022.
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Fire Zimmer, keep Spielman
In this scenario, Spielman would make a case to the ownership group (again, a group he’s close to) that the team’s draft classes, which he has overseen, haven’t been the problem, nor has the assembly of talent on the roster or negotiations with star players. He could point to the selection of Justin Jefferson, the promise of Christian Darrisaw and the improvements that seem to be coming from the offensive line.
He could also cite the immense talent as a reason to stay, pointing to coaching as the reason a team with Jefferson, Dalvin Cook, Adam Thielen, Eric Kendricks, Anthony Barr, Patrick Peterson and Harrison Smith couldn’t make the playoffs.
The blame, if the Wilfs chose this path, would be placed squarely on the coaches. It’s not often that a general manager gets to hire a third coach, which is what would happen here, but it’s possible.
Keep Zimmer, fire/reassign Spielman
Though this might seem unlikely, Zimmer might be able to convince the Wilfs that the team’s struggles this season have been largely due to the poor results from the 2021 draft class, thus prompting ownership to make a change in the front office but not with their coach.
Darrisaw has had some nice moments, but he wasn’t available to start at the beginning of the season because of an injury suffered before the draft, thus forcing Zimmer to start Rashod Hill at left tackle. Beyond Darrisaw, the 2021 draft class has done little. Spielman stockpiled four third-round picks, and all four have struggled. Kellen Mond’s progress has been so insignificant that Zimmer felt Sean Mannion was a better option last week against the Packers. Guard Wyatt Davis has been bypassed by Dakota Dozier on the depth chart. Patrick Jones hasn’t done much even though the Vikings lost both of their starting defensive ends. And linebacker Chazz Surratt has been buried on the depth chart.
In 2021, the Vikings needed their draft class to provide depth because of the nature of their top-heavy roster, and when that didn’t happen, it made Zimmer’s job more difficult. Plus, Zimmer could point to his .553 winning percentage and the fact he’s never won fewer than seven games in any of his eight seasons. If the Wilfs don’t want to rebuild, perhaps that’d be an appealing argument even if Zimmer’s defense has largely struggled this season.
Fire Zimmer and Spielman
If the ownership group decides that the best way to bring about meaningful change is to clean house, this would be the route they take. A lot of it depends on their view of Spielman. If they remain appreciative of his years of service, they might reassign him to a new role. If not, this would provide a clean break.
The Vikings have begun to feel like a stale organization with the same people yielding the same middling results, and this would offer the most meaningful change. Zimmer and Spielman have worked together since 2014, and if ownership feels like it wouldn’t be fair to keep one but not the other, perhaps this is the plan they choose.
Ownership wasn’t pleased by the Vikings’ loss to the Lions this season, and it seems fair to share the blame between Zimmer and Spielman for another losing campaign in a year when the Wilfs expected to reach the playoffs. They could blame Spielman for putting together a top-heavy roster in a league of frequent injuries while struggling to find meaningful talent (outside of Jefferson) in the previous three draft classes. They’ve cut two of the first-round picks selected in the past four years, and another (Garrett Bradbury) hasn’t performed well. But they could also blame Zimmer for not getting more out of this roster, specifically on defense, where the Vikings got a massive talent boost last offseason only to finish as a below-average unit this season.
Keep both with major changes elsewhere
The status quo is unlikely to remain, which is about the only certainty as the Wilfs look to the future. But perhaps the close relationships between ownership and Spielman and Zimmer persuade the Wilfs to keep both leaders with the understanding they’ll make significant changes elsewhere, including on Spielman’s roster and Zimmer’s coaching staff.
Maybe if Spielman promised a major overhaul to the roster, starting at quarterback, and Zimmer promised a revamped coaching staff with significant changes, they could convince the Wilfs to retain them in their current positions.
In this scenario, Spielman would make a case to the ownership group (again, a group he’s close to) that the team’s draft classes, which he has overseen, haven’t been the problem, nor has the assembly of talent on the roster or negotiations with star players. He could point to the selection of Justin Jefferson, the promise of Christian Darrisaw and the improvements that seem to be coming from the offensive line.
He could also cite the immense talent as a reason to stay, pointing to coaching as the reason a team with Jefferson, Dalvin Cook, Adam Thielen, Eric Kendricks, Anthony Barr, Patrick Peterson and Harrison Smith couldn’t make the playoffs.
The blame, if the Wilfs chose this path, would be placed squarely on the coaches. It’s not often that a general manager gets to hire a third coach, which is what would happen here, but it’s possible.
Keep Zimmer, fire/reassign Spielman
Though this might seem unlikely, Zimmer might be able to convince the Wilfs that the team’s struggles this season have been largely due to the poor results from the 2021 draft class, thus prompting ownership to make a change in the front office but not with their coach.
Darrisaw has had some nice moments, but he wasn’t available to start at the beginning of the season because of an injury suffered before the draft, thus forcing Zimmer to start Rashod Hill at left tackle. Beyond Darrisaw, the 2021 draft class has done little. Spielman stockpiled four third-round picks, and all four have struggled. Kellen Mond’s progress has been so insignificant that Zimmer felt Sean Mannion was a better option last week against the Packers. Guard Wyatt Davis has been bypassed by Dakota Dozier on the depth chart. Patrick Jones hasn’t done much even though the Vikings lost both of their starting defensive ends. And linebacker Chazz Surratt has been buried on the depth chart.
In 2021, the Vikings needed their draft class to provide depth because of the nature of their top-heavy roster, and when that didn’t happen, it made Zimmer’s job more difficult. Plus, Zimmer could point to his .553 winning percentage and the fact he’s never won fewer than seven games in any of his eight seasons. If the Wilfs don’t want to rebuild, perhaps that’d be an appealing argument even if Zimmer’s defense has largely struggled this season.
Fire Zimmer and Spielman
If the ownership group decides that the best way to bring about meaningful change is to clean house, this would be the route they take. A lot of it depends on their view of Spielman. If they remain appreciative of his years of service, they might reassign him to a new role. If not, this would provide a clean break.
The Vikings have begun to feel like a stale organization with the same people yielding the same middling results, and this would offer the most meaningful change. Zimmer and Spielman have worked together since 2014, and if ownership feels like it wouldn’t be fair to keep one but not the other, perhaps this is the plan they choose.
Ownership wasn’t pleased by the Vikings’ loss to the Lions this season, and it seems fair to share the blame between Zimmer and Spielman for another losing campaign in a year when the Wilfs expected to reach the playoffs. They could blame Spielman for putting together a top-heavy roster in a league of frequent injuries while struggling to find meaningful talent (outside of Jefferson) in the previous three draft classes. They’ve cut two of the first-round picks selected in the past four years, and another (Garrett Bradbury) hasn’t performed well. But they could also blame Zimmer for not getting more out of this roster, specifically on defense, where the Vikings got a massive talent boost last offseason only to finish as a below-average unit this season.
Keep both with major changes elsewhere
The status quo is unlikely to remain, which is about the only certainty as the Wilfs look to the future. But perhaps the close relationships between ownership and Spielman and Zimmer persuade the Wilfs to keep both leaders with the understanding they’ll make significant changes elsewhere, including on Spielman’s roster and Zimmer’s coaching staff.
Maybe if Spielman promised a major overhaul to the roster, starting at quarterback, and Zimmer promised a revamped coaching staff with significant changes, they could convince the Wilfs to retain them in their current positions.