Minnesota Vikings general manager Rick Spielman had been with the team since 2006 and hired Mike Zimmer as coach in 2014. Both men had been in their positions longer than most of their NFL counterparts.
But the Vikings have missed the playoffs in three of their past four seasons after finishing the 2021 season with an 8-9 record Sunday.
Owners Zygi and Mark Wilf decided they'd seen enough. They fired Zimmer and Spielman on Monday morning, perhaps the most significant set of changes since the Wilfs bought the team in 2005.
After the Vikings lost the NFC Championship Game in the 2017 season, falling a game shy of reaching Super Bowl LII at U.