Broncos, former head coach with nearly 30 years experience have 'mutual interest'

The Denver Broncos may soon add to their coaching staff by making a fascinating hire. It has been reported by 9News Broncos insider Mike Klis that the team met with former Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer and there is said to be a "mutual interest" between the two sides. 

Zimmer and Sean Payton go way back and it's clear that Payton wants to add a trusted name to his staff. Zimmer would be given a senior coaching position ot help with the defensive side of the ball. 

Zimmer was the head coach of the Vikings from 2014 to 2021 and took the team to the playoffs three times, reaching the NFC Championship Game in 2017. He was fired following the 2021 season and finished his tenure there with a record of 72-56-1. In that time, Zimmer worked with current Broncos general manager George Paton. 

Zimmer returned to the league in 2024 as the defensive coordinator of the Dallas Cowboys, a position he also held from 2000 to 2006, but the second stint lasted just one season. He was out of the league last year. 

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Zimmer's coaching career began in 1979 as a defensive assistant at Missouri. His first job in the NFL came with the Cowboys in 1994 as a defensive assistant. 

He worked his way up to becoming one of the more respected defensive minds of his era and that is how he gained the respect of Payton, considered one of the best offensive minds of that same timeframe. 

The Broncos lost Jim Leonhard to the Buffalo Bills this offseason and that was a guy the team wanted to keep around to potentially replace Vance Joseph should he be hired as a head coach. When Joseph wasn't given one of the 10 vacant jobs this offseason, it opened the door for a team to swipe Leonhard. 

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Payton is trying to reinforce his defensive staff and though Zimmer will turn 70 years old in June, he still has one of the sharpest minds for that side of the ball that the league has seen. It will be interesting to see if the two sides can agree to a deal. 

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