When this offseason started, Vikings coach Mike Zimmer and general manager Rick Spielman would both have their contracts run out after the 2020 NFL season.
That all changed recently, though, when the Vikings finalized multi-year extensions with Zimmer and Spielman.
A compelling argument could have been made that Minnesota should see what Zimmer and Spielman could do in their final year. The two have built a team that is consistently making the playoffs, but has yet to win a Super Bowl.
However, there are a plethora of reasons why Zimmer and Spielman being on short-term deals might not have been the best idea for Minnesota.
For one, the Vikings will need continuity — now more than ever. Minnesota retooled its roster this offseason, and those new players will have to adjust to the Vikings’ various schemes as the NFL tries to play amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Minnesota has so many young players that are stylistic fits for the current Vikings system, that it doesn’t make sense to let Zimmer or Spielman walk after 2020 unless the team is shockingly bad. A hypothetical new coach coming in would inherit a team that is probably not going to fit their schematic ideas.
Zimmer and Spielman need time with this young roster, and overhauling the Vikings brain trust would have had a diminishing effect on the team as a whole. This is clearly a Vikings team in a new phase. A team in transition doesn’t need to go through a new coaching staff or front office, at least not right away.
The Vikings aren’t rebuilding necessarily; they’re just adding young players while still having the hope of playoff contention. What better options would Minnesota have than a coach and general manager who helped pick these players, who have built teams in the past that were more than capable of playoff berths?
Former offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski became the Browns head coach this offseason. In April, Stefanski had to stay in his Minnesota home, due to the pandemic. Despite a good roster on paper, uncertainty surrounds Cleveland as the team heads into the 2020 NFL season.
With Stefanski gone and young players in big roles, the Vikings don’t need any more uncertainty than they already have, so locking in Zimmer and Spielman for the future makes sense.
