Appearing on the SKOR North podcast, local Minnesota sports reporters Judd Zulgad and Doug “Doogie” Wolfson speculated an interesting concept for the future of the Minnesota Vikings. Zulgad specifically mentioned rumors of the Wilfs meeting on Wednesday, Jan. 5 to determine the future of both of their top leaders, being the general manager and head coach.
They then offered their own off-the-wall speculation focused on the idea of the Wilf ownership group deciding to not necessarily fire general manager Rick Spielman, but to change his official title, losing his power as the final decision-maker in the front office. This likely means Spielman moves into more of a consultant role, remaining a part of the organization, just not as the team’s GM.
They also went into the likelihood of Mike Zimmer being fired sometime Monday morning following the Chicago Bears game on Sunday, win or lose. They didn’t have much to say either way on quarterback Kirk Cousins, with that decision likely falling on the next general manager.
Keep in mind, this is all purely speculation, with no actual sources named or official quotes on record. In other words, they have no clue, just like the rest of us.
Here is the full podcast so you can hear for yourself.
What happens if Minnesota Vikings move Rick Spielman, fire Mike Zimmer?
Under this scenario, the Vikings would then search for a new general manager to fill Spielman’s role as the final roster decision-maker. The new GM would then hire his own hand-selected head coach to assure both figures are on the same page moving forward. At that time, or possibly before, they would determine whether they want to keep Cousins, or shop him in a trade.
While most are quick to assume Mike Zimmer will be fired and most reports seem to point to such an event, he is under contract until 2024. Meanwhile, Spielman has been with the organization since 2006, longer than the Wilfs have even owned the team.
Fans should learn of Spielman and Zimmer’s fate soon enough as “Black Monday” approaches when many coaches and executives get relieved of their duties following the last game of the regular season.