If the Vikings fire Mike Zimmer right now, they can interview these 3 perfect candidates
By John Buhler
The Minnesota Vikings probably need to replace Mike Zimmer at head coach after this season.
At 7-8 through 16 weeks, it is not looking good for Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer to retain his job beyond this season.
The Vikings have never been bad under his watch, but it seems to have run its course in the Twin Cities. Minnesota is only a Wild Card team at best in the NFC and the Vikings are creeping closer to a rebuild with each passing season. They are not catching the Green Bay Packers and may need to hit the reset button to be sure they get right quicker than the Chicago Bears or the Detroit Lions.
If the Vikings look to go in a different direction at head coach, these three men should be the finalists for the potential vacancy.
Minnesota Vikings: 3 head-coaching candidates to replace Mike Zimmer
Offensive Coordinator. Kansas City Chiefs. Eric Bieniemy. 3. player. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. 124
Eric Bieniemy could return to an organization he knows very well from before
Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy has been a big name over the last two offseasons, but has yet to land a head-coaching job. While he does not have to leave his current post unless he gets an offer he cannot refuse, there could be interest in him potentially going back to the Vikings organization, one where he served as the running backs coach in the late 2000s.
If Minnesota does part ways with Zimmer, one would expect the Vikings to go with an offensive-minded coach. Though Bieniemy is a former running back, he coordinates an offense with three elite passing weapons in Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill. With a team that has Kirk Cousins, Dalvin Cook, Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen, there is a lot to like with Minnesota.
Where it does get interesting is if the Vikings brass believes Bieniemy can elevate Cousins’ play, or be the one to usher along his eventual successor. Cousins has been good for the Vikings, but this franchise needs to find a 21st Century version of Fran Tarkenton if it ever wants to get back to the Super Bowl. Familiarity with the Vikings organization should make Bieniemy a candidate, though.
If six-to-eight jobs open up, Bieniemy might finally be in a position to secure one of them, regardless of if that job happens to be the one in Minnesota.