Mike Zimmer has always been a defense-oriented coach, but he's well aware it will be the offensive side of the ball that determines his future with the Minnesota Vikings.
The Vikings could be sending a trio of quarterbacks to the free-agent market in Sam Bradford, Teddy Bridgewater, and Case Keenum - an unprecedented amount for a team coming off a playoff run. Zimmer hasn't ruled out bringing any of the three back, though each passer has their own faults, as the Vikings weigh their options.
"It's important for myself and Rick (Spielman) and the organization we pick the right guy that can help us continue to move forward," Zimmer said Thursday, according to NFL.com's Kevin Patra. "If we don't do that, then I'll probably get fired."
With a defense-first strategy, Zimmer has posted winning records in three of four seasons, including a trip to the NFC Championship in 2017. Zimmer hinted that he doesn't want to jeopardize losing pieces of the defense in order to sign a quarterback (like Kirk Cousins perhaps) to a big-money contract.
"We've won 40 games in the last four years because we've had a good football team, and I want to make sure with our team that we continue to build and improve, continually improve on defense," said Zimmer. "They told me today ... we're 30-4 when we score 21 points, so it's important that we don't lose the defensive part of the game because we keep the game close. So all these things become a factor.
"So after we get here, after we get done looking at some of these young draftable guys, so we'll kind of sit down and figure out the direction we're going. But I feel very confident really in all three guys."
