Vincent Frank
It was reported late last week that the Dallas Cowboys were set to hire former Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer for their vacant defensive coordinator job.
Fast forward several days, and this situation remains an open mystery. Former NFL head coach Rex Ryan indicated over the weekend that Zimmer’s hire is not official and he might not get the job in Big D.
It’s interesting in that Ryan himself was seen as a candidate for the job before it seemingly went to Zimmer.
We now have more on this courtesy of ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The NFL insider noted on The Pat McAfee Show Monday that the Zimmer deal is not done. Schefter also reported that Ryan himself is going to get another look.
We’re not exactly sure what is playing out behind the scenes in Dallas. What we do know is that owner Jerry Jones has played a major role in the process of replacing former defensive coordinator Dan Quinn. He was hired earlier in the offseason to be the Washington Commanders’ next head coach.
Related: Dallas Cowboys legend Emmitt Smith tears into team after latest playoff failure
By looking at two former long-time NFL head coaches for this position, Jones is clearly putting head coach Mike McCarthy on notice. Despite another 12-win regular season, Dallas was blown out by the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Wild Card Playoffs.
It represented even more postseason failure for an organization that has not made it as far as the conference championship game since the end of the 1995 season.
Ryan, 61, coached the New York Jets from 2009-2014. The team posted a combined 46-50 record with two playoff appearances. He was then hired to be the Buffalo Bills’ head coach, lasting from 2015-16 with a combined 15-16 record.
As for Zimmer, he was the Vikings’ most-successful head coach since the day of Bud Grant. The veteran posted a 72-56-1 record from 2014-21. Both would be in position to take over for McCarthy should Jones pull the plug this coming season.
