Mike Zimmer was dealt a tough hand this season in Dallas. Not only did the new defensive coordinator only get offered a one-year deal to replace Dan Quinn as the Cowboys defensive coordinator, but he had a relatively undisciplined and undermanned roster to work with. Old habits die hard, and Zimmer had a lot of old habits he needed to break on the Cowboys defense.

For as brilliant as his predecessor was, Quinn’s teams were consistently undisciplined in certain aspects of the game. Run fits in particular were an issue with Dallas defenses of the past. On numerous occasions players were seen freelancing and misreading plays on the field. It often created a snowball effect that resulted in landslide collapses. See also: Green Bay in the previous postseason.

The Cowboys defense took on a fast and loose persona under Quinn, and most of the time, it worked to perfection. Unfortunately, when things went poorly, they went very poorly, and Zimmer was largely brought in to stop those bipolar moments.

Things got off to a rocky start under Zimmer. Not only did the Cowboys fall to the bottom of the NFL in defensive ranking but they stopped producing those turnovers they’d been notorious for under Quinn. While much of that could be chalked up to a new system and significant injuries, the responsibility still fell on Zimmer, and he certainly felt that weight.

“I’ve had fun,” Zimmer said to The Athletic’s Jon Machota. “…But it’s been hard. I’m not going to lie about that. It’s been hard.”

Going from the penthouse to the outhouse was not the fall from grace Cowboys fans expected under Zimmer, and for a while he looked like he’d be one-and-done as coordinator of the Cowboys. Then a funny thing started happening. The Cowboys defense, injuries and all, started to improve. Players started staying true to their assignments, run fits were getting filled and mental mistakes began to dissipate.

Suddenly a future with Zimmer running the defense didn’t sound so crazy. After ranking 30th in overall defense through the first 11 weeks of the season, the Dallas defense has bounced up to seventh overall in the weeks following. It’s nothing short of amazing getting this defense up into top 10 status and to think he’s done so with three of the biggest stars, Trevon Diggs, DeMarvion Overshown and DeMarcus Lawrence, out for the year.

It’s safe to say Zimmer has earned the right to be in the conversation going forward. If Zimmer could accomplish all this in 2024 under these terrible circumstances, imagine what he could accomplish next year with his system fully installed, his roster finally healthy, and his needs somewhat addressed?

But now it seems the script has been flipped because Zimmer has suggested he may not want to return at all. When asked about coaching next season Zimmer expressed a rather unresolved mindset on the matter.

“We’ll see,” Zimmer said. “Let’s wait and until the end of the year and see where we’re at.”

At 68-years-old, Zimmer is past the average age of retirement in the US, so it’s perfectly possible the veteran coach decides the grind isn’t worth it and he’s ready to ride off into the sunset.

It’s no longer just about if Dallas wants Zimmer, but also about if Zimmer wants Dallas.

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