The Dallas Cowboys plan to hire former Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer as defensive coordinator, a person familiar with the matter said. dallas morning news on thursday.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said: news He announced the decision was made before Thursday's NFL Honors Show in Las Vegas, but declined to give his name. However, Jones said he plans to finalize the final details during the ceremony.
zimmer He will replace Dan Quinn, who will become head coach of the Washington Commanders after the 2023 season. Before settling on Zimmer, the Cowboys also looked at former head coaches/coordinators such as Ron Rivera and Rex Ryan. Substitutes whenever possible.
Under Quinn, the Cowboys produced Pro Bowl players such as Micah Parsons (edge), DeMarcus Lawrence (defensive end), Trevon Diggs and Darron Brand (cornerback). In two of his three seasons as defensive coordinator, the Cowboys led the NFL in wins.
But the Cowboys are looking to bounce back from a playoff loss in which Packers running back Aaron Jones had 21 carries for 118 yards and three touchdowns. The Arizona Cardinals in Week 3 and the Buffalo Bills in Week 14 each had over 200 rushing yards in their losses at Dallas.
This will be Zimmer's second stint with the Cowboys. He spent 13 years with the organization, serving as a defensive assistant (1994), defensive backs coach (1995-1999), and finally defensive coordinator (2000-2006). Zimmer's best defense was No. 4 in 2001 and No. 1 in 2003. Zimmer served as the defensive backs coach for the Cowboys' last Super Bowl team after the 1995 season.
After leaving the Cowboys, he became defensive coordinator in Atlanta and Cincinnati. He was named Minnesota's head coach in 2014. In eight seasons under Zimmer, the Vikings went 72-56-1 overall and 2-3 in postseason appearances.
Zimmer, 67, overcame surgery on both eyes for retinal detachment and cataracts during his time as head coach.
He has been assisting former players as a consultant for the past two seasons. Most recently, he worked with former Cowboys cornerback Deion Sanders, who is the head coach at the University of Colorado.
Zimmer has faced personal tragedy during his time away from the sport. Her son Adam passed away in November 2022. Adam Zimmer, 38, was an NFL assistant coach for 17 years.
The Cowboys also had interest in Cowboys defensive line coach Aden Durde and Jets safeties coach Marquand Manuel, who were being interviewed by three teams for the coordinator vacancy.
Staff writers David Moore and Michael Gehlken contributed to this report.
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