Mike Zimmer on returning to the Cowboys as DC: ‘Excited and honored’

Mike Zimmer is returning to the Dallas Cowboys as their defensive coordinator, 18 years removed from last serving in the same role for the franchise.

18 years later, Zimmer is “excited and honored” to be coming back to Dallas, where he made his name as a coach in the NFL.

“I’m excited and honored to be back with a great organization,” Zimmer told Ed Werder of ESPN. “I’m thrilled to work with Mike McCarthy, for whom I have had a ton of respect in our NFC North days, and to do anything I can do to help the Joneses and the Cowboys.”

Cowboys, Mike Zimmer agree to terms on deal

Zimmer, 67, and the Cowboys officially agreed to terms on a deal Monday, per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. Pelissero previously reported last week that Dallas was expected to hire Zimmer. However, there were a few twists and turns after that.

Rex Ryan, who was reportedly also in the mix for the job, made headlines on Sunday ahead of Super Bowl LVIII when he shared that from what he had heard, the deal with Mike Zimmer wasn’t done.

“First off, I’m not so sure Zimmer’s got that job right now,” Ryan said on ESPN. “Not that sure about that. I can honestly say that I don’t believe that’s a fact right now.”

But the job is, in fact, Zimmer’s, who replaces Dan Quinn, whom the Washington Commanders hired as their head coach. Zimmer spent 12 years as an assistant for the Cowboys (1994-2006), the last six as defensive coordinator.

From there, he spent one season as the defensive coordinator for the Atlanta Falcons, before serving as the defensive coordinator for the Cincinnati Bengals from 2008-13. The job he did in Cincinnati eventually landed him the Minnesota Vikings’ head coaching job. Zimmer went 72-56 in eight seasons in Minnesota, making three playoff appearances. The Vikings fired him after the 2021 season. He spent the 2022 season as an analyst/consultant for Jackson State and held the same title in 2023 at Colorado.