The Dallas Cowboys – if you had not heard – made a very safe, run-of-the-mill and uncontroversial play when the hired current offensive coordinator, Brian Schottenhemier, to be their 10th head coach.
All kidding aside, had this not been forecast in the days prior by the media, this would have easily been one of the more surprising coaching moves of the past decade. Even with the fairly long run-up, the announcement still sent shockwaves around the NFL – particularly amongst Cowboys fans, who it is fairly safe to say were anything but thrilled.
Schottenheimer has a long, but perhaps mixed tenure as a coach and coordinator in the NFL spanning over 25 years, with various ups and downs amidst his time with the nine different teams, including the New York Jets, Jacksonville Jaguars and most recently, of course, the Cowboys.
Schottenheimer had yet to even call plays during his stint under former head coach, Mike McCarthy, in Dallas, but Jerry Jones believed he has seen enough to anoint to be the leader of the biggest brand in US sports.
Will Brian Schottenheimer Utilize An Experienced DC In 2025?
During times of change, particularly for new, fresh head coaches, it can be a wise move to keep experienced company on the coaching staff.
Sean McVay, for example, hired veteran defensive coordinator, Wade Phillips, to come out of retirement in 2017 upon taking the LA Rams head coaching job. And former Atlanta Falcons head coach, Arthur Smith, teamed up with previously retired former DC, Dean Pees.
And seemingly luckily for Schottenheimer, Dallas has exactly that type of coach already on the roster in the form of defensive coordinator and long-time former Minnesota Vikings HC, Mike Zimmer.
Zimmer spent eight years as the Vikings’ head coach from 2014 – 2021, going 72-56 in the regular season, and 2-3 in three visits to the playoffs. And whilst he did not manage to quite replicate of the success of the Dallas defense under now Washington Commanders head coach, Dan Quinn, he was a safe pair of hands with significant defensive experience in the league – something Schottenhemier has little familiarity with.
Mike Zimmer Not Returning For 2025
But, unfortunately for Dallas, it seems like their veteran defensive coach will not be with them in 2025, per ESPN’s Ed Werder.
Mike Zimmer tells me that he will not be returning to the #Cowboys as a member of Brian Schottenheimer’s coaching staff and will likely retire from coaching in the NFL.
Zimmer served as defensive coordinator last season. Cowboys likely to hire Matt Eberflus as DC, per sources. pic.twitter.com/MhKp1Lpfkv— Ed Werder (@WerderEdNFL) January 26, 2025
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Zimmer’s presence on the staff was always predominantly a good one – despite the team ranking 28th in total defense this past year (although it did manage to improve towards the last third of the season).
But aged 68, and with little prospect of returning to the fold as a head coach, it seems that Zimmer realized there was not much more for him in coaching. Particularly considering the tough state of the Cowboys roster, that does not look to be making a Super Bowl run anytime soon.
