How warm is Mike Zimmer’s coaching seat?

Having compiled a 48-34-1 record since becoming the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings, and not having had a losing season since 2014, Mike Zimmer has had a pretty decent run since coming to Minneapolis. However, after coming up short of expectations last season and with big expectations in front of the team again this year, could he actually be in danger of losing his job?

Dan Hanzus of NFL.com put together a list of NFL head coach “security rankings,” and out of the 32 head coaches, Zimmer is all the way down at #26.

Certain teams don’t seem to wear the crown of offseason Super Bowl favorite well. With Minnesota coming off the Minneapolis Miracle and an appearance in the NFL’s version of the Final Four in 2017, many believed 2018 would be the year the Vikings pulled an Eagles and ended a 50-plus year Super Bowl drought. Replacing Case Keenum with Kirk Cousins at quarterback only elevated expectations -- but Minnesota fell weirdly flat last season en route to a deeply disappointing 8-7-1 finish. Entering his sixth season, Zimmer has been a very strong hire overall for the Vikings. You just wonder how patient ownership will remain if the Vikings follow ”Waterworld” with ”Battlefield Earth.”

The only six coaches that are less secure than Zimmer, according to Hanzus’ report, are

• Jason Garrett (Dallas Cowboys)
• Kyle Shanahan (San Francisco 49ers)
• Matt Patricia (Detroit Lions)
• Doug Marrone (Jacksonville Jaguars)
• Pat Shurmur (New York Giants)
• Jay Gruden (Washington Redskins)

Honestly, it’s hard for me to see Zimmer losing his job after this season unless this team just completely bottoms out and goes about 5-11 or something, which is something I just can’t envision. Of course, I’ve been wrong about this team before, but there’s just way too much talent here for this team to hit rock bottom.

How secure do you think Mike Zimmer’s job is, folks?