Vikings fire Mike Zimmer, Rick Spielman; search for replacements to start immediately

In a sweeping set of moves unlike any they've made since they bought the team in 2005, Vikings owners Mark and Zygi Wilf fired coach Mike Zimmer and General Manager Rick Spielman on Monday, a day after the conclusion of consecutive losing seasons that had exhausted the Wilfs' patience with both men.

Spielman, who had been with the team since 2006, hired Zimmer to replace Leslie Frazier in 2014. Both had two years remaining on the contract extensions they signed in 2020, but after the team finished 8-9 and missed the playoffs for the second year in a row, the Wilfs opted for a total reset.

"We're very proud of the fact that we, as an ownership, try to think long-term," Mark Wilf said at a Monday news conference. "We know we want to be consistent, but at the same time we evaluated where we've been. … We're clearly disappointed in the football results this year, and over the past few weeks, this is something we've been thinking and deliberating quite a bit."

https://www.startribune.com/vikings-fire-mike-zimmer-rick-spielman-search-for-replacements-starts-immediately-zygi-mark-wilf/600134399/