Maybe it’s the fact that Mike Zimmer didn’t get his first chance to be an NFL head coach until he was 57 years old, but he’s not intending on walking away from the gig any time soon.
Despite an eighth eye surgery last week that is forcing him to sit out some of the team’s offseason program, Zimmer remains fully committed to serving as head coach of the Vikings.
“I’ll be back shortly,” Zimmer said Friday, via Jon Krawczynski of the Associated Press. “One eye or two, it doesn’t matter. I’ll be back. We can put that retiring thing to bed quickly.”
Zimmer said he intends to return to the Vikings on June 4, just one day before his 61st birthday. He missed one game last year after continued issues with his eye led to previous surgeries. Defensive line coach Andre Patterson has been filling in for the Vikings in Zimmer’s absence.