A bizarre season in Minnesota won’t be ending with a coaching change.
Coach Mike Zimmer will return to the Vikings for a fourth season, PFT has confirmed.
The 2016 season became a major disappointment for a team that won the NFC North a year ago and nearly beat Seattle in the wild-card round. Amid expectations of a possible Super Bowl run, the Vikings lost quarterback Teddy Bridgewater less than two weeks before the start of the regular season and running back Adrian Peterson in Week Two. Numerous other injuries ravaged the roster and, specifically, the offensive line.
The Vikings responded to the Bridgewater injury by making a trade for quarterback Sam Bradford, who became the starter in Week Two and started every game thereafter. The Vikings were the NFL’s last unbeaten team at 5-0, but the wheels came off after the bye.
Offensive coordinator Norv Turner abruptly quit after a Week Eight loss to the Bears, and the offense never really improved, with a subpar running game and a passing game that focused mainly on short throws. Zimmer himself missed a Thursday night game after emergency eye surgery.
The low point came last month, with a blowout loss at home to the Colts followed by a Christmas Eve mutiny, with the defensive backs ignoring the plan for covering Packers receiver Jordy Nelson. A clumsy effort to cram the toothpaste back into the tube ensued. Via Jay Glazer of FOX, ownership asked questions about what happened, and the explanation apparently was sufficient to cause no problems for Zummer.
Hired in 2014, Zimmer received a contract extension in July. He’s 26-22 in three years as a head coach.
