Getty Footage of Mike Zimmer shoving Kirk Cousins went viral after the Vikings' 19-17 win over the Detriot Lions.
The Minnesota Vikings are officially searching for their sixth offensive coordinator in six seasons following Gary Kubiak’s retirement on Thursday.
Coach Mike Zimmer has righted the ship by leaning on his defense since 2014, but as 2020 showed, the defense is a shell of its former self and the most prominent culprit of a 7-9 season — Zimmer’s worse record as a head coach since the year was hired.
Minnesota’s offense has all the weapons to compensate for the defensive shortcomings. However, how they are used could determine Zimmer’s future with the franchise. Zimmer was named to be on “the hottest seat in the NFL” on Pro Football Talk as his job security might not be as cozy as it once was in the honeymoon of the Vikings’ 2017 NFC title game appearance.
General manager Rick Spielman and Zimmer’s decision of who will be the new offensive coordinator could weigh heavily on the Vikings’ brain trust’s job security after overpromising a playoff appearance in 2020. Yes, injuries played a factor, but the expectations of the rookie class were steep given no preseason or rookie minicamps.
While Zimmer’s primary responsibility will be pushing for the development of the revamped defense that replaced five starters in 2020, the unit likely won’t return to its 2017-form as the league’s top unit anytime in the next calendar year. The team will need to rely on the offense to put up points again.
Ultimately, whoever’s calling the plays could carry both Spielman and Zimmer’s jobs in their hands.
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Kubiak Worked Wonders With the Vikings Offense
Courtesy of VikingsGary Kubiak recently retired, leaving the Vikings searching for their sixth offensive coordinator in as many seasons.
Minnesota’s offense lived and died by Kirk Cousins in 2020. His turnover struggles early in the season played a significant role in sinking the Vikings’ playoff chances just six games into the season — when he led the league with 10 interceptions and committed three turnovers against the Atlanta Falcons and Indianapolis Colts.
Questionable playcalling was a factor early in the season as Kubiak was learning what the Vikings had offensively after moving on from Stefon Diggs. He soon got the best out of the offense, which finished the season fourth in yards per game (393.3) and 11th in points at 26.9 per game in 2020 — the most points per game by any Vikings team since 2009.
Cousins led the resurgence, throwing 24 touchdowns and three interceptions in the final 10 games of the season to finish with a career-high 35 passing touchdowns. In his two seasons as offensive coordinator and advisor, Kubiak helped Cousins produce two of the highest passer ratings in his career of 107.4 (2019) and 105.0 (2020).
Klint Kubiak is the Best Candidate for Cousins’ Sake
Courtesy of VikingsGary Kubiak’s son, Vikings quarterback coach Klint Kubiak, is considered a favorite for the offensive coordinator position.
Kubiak’s son, Klint, has emerged as the favorite candidate to take over his father’s role after serving as Minnesota’s quarterbacks coach for the past two seasons. He has 10 years of experience between coaching college, with the Denver Broncos as an offensive assistant/QB coach and a second stint with the Vikings as an assistant wide receivers coach in 2013-14.
But most importantly, he has a pulse on how Cousins works and how he develops through his progressions. Cousins admitted he was rushing through his progressions early in the season and has struggled to make improv plays off-schedule.
Klint Kubiak could be the Cousins’ whisperer as no coach has had as much contact with the 32-year-old quarterback since he was signed.
Zimmer has publicly praised Cousins and the offense’s turnaround this season and hopes to keep as much continuity on that side of the ball as possible. Klint Kubiak provides just that.
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Trevor Squire is a Heavy contributor covering the Minnesota Vikings and journalism graduate from the University of Minnesota — Twin Cities. Connect with him on Twitter @trevordsquire and join our Vikings community at Heavy on Vikings on Facebook.