Aaron Rodgers thinks it’s crazy Vikings coach Mike Zimmer is on the hot seat

If Aaron Rodgers had it his way, Mike Zimmer would be far from the hot seat 

Green Bay Packers star Aaron Rodgers has gone back and forth with Minnesota Vikings coach Mike Zimmer for years. Still, there has to be mutual respect between the two men after nearly seven years of battling it out.

The Vikings (1-5) are currently playing for their season entering Week 8’s standoff against Green Bay. However, if Rodgers were general manager Rick Spielman, he wouldn’t be too keen on letting go of the 64-year-old just yet.

“He’s a phenomenal coach,” Rodgers said of Zimmer during Wednesday’s presser. “I was telling a friend of mine, to see [Zimmer] mentioned to be on the hot seat, to me, is absolutely crazy. I think he’s one of the best coaches in the league and has been for a long time.”

In a way, Rodgers has a point after seeing the critics put Zimmer on the hot seat. Since his arrival with the franchise in 2014, the veteran defensive mind has only finished below .500 once. He also has three playoff appearances and a winning record of 57.4 percent.

Is 2020 just a down year for Zimmer and the Vikings? 

Minnesota’s identity has always been on the defensive side. The 2020 season certainly isn’t their year in that department, as the team ranks in the bottom half of total yards and points allowed per game. Keep in mind, the franchise let Everson Griffen and Linval Joseph walk off the defensive line while Mackensie Alexander, Trae Waynes and Xavier Rhodes are out of the secondary and on new teams.

Spielman didn’t help himself in free agency either. After six games, the team traded recently-acquired Yannick Ngakoue to the Baltimore Ravens for a bargain price of a 2021 third-round pick and a 2022 conditional fifth-round pick. Following that, Zimmer announced that fellow star pass rusher Danielle Hunter won’t suit up this year after undergoing successful neck surgery this week.

Rookies Jeff Gladney and Cameron Dantzler are doing their best, but cornerbacks struggle to make the switch from college to the NFL. The first-round Gladney currently has 27 tackles and two pass deflections while Dantzler has collected 24 tackles and struggled in man coverage.

With the offense struggling under Kirk Cousins’ reign, perhaps the team will tank to put itself in place to land a top-tier quarterback. Still, Rodgers is certain that unlike other coaches, Zimmer should have another season to stick around and fix the team’s woes.

Time will tell if Zimmer survives 2020 or if the Vikings send him to early retirement. Perhaps Sunday’s game could give fans and even Rodgers a better picture.