Kyle Sloter Claims Rick Spielman and Mike Zimmer Hated Each Other

Although this was unprecedented at the time, behind the scenes, this is likely when the Spielman and Zimmer relationship started to breakdown. It has been reported that Zimmer never wanted to sign Cousins to that amount of money, and that he wanted to spend that money on the defensive side of the ball. Regardless of what Zimmer wanted, Spielman went ahead and signed Cousins.

Rick Spielman and Mike Zimmer “hated each other”

Kyle Sloter, a former Vikings QB, had a couple of stints in Minnesota from 2017-2022. Although he never took a snap in a regular season or postseason game for any team, he did recently appear on the Onebar & Lupagus Show and revealed some insider drama regarding the Spielman and Zimmer relationship.

According to Sloter, Spielman really liked him while Zimmer didn’t during his initial stint with Minnesota from 2017-2019. While the 2021-22 season was spiraling downwards, Spielman and Zimmer seemed to both know that the writing was on the wall for their tenures in Minnesota, and as one last “F*** you to Zimmer”, Spielman brought Sloter back in December 28, 2021. Sloter was later released a few days later on January 3, 2022.

“Spielman really liked me. Zimmer and Spielman hated each other, so Zimmer hated me. They both knew they were getting fired, so when they needed a QB, it was a last F you to Zimmer.”

Kyle Sloter via The Onebar & Lupagus Show

Out with the old, in with the new Minnesota Vikings

Overall, we’ll never really know if this is fully true or not. However, coming from a former Vikings player, their definitely could be some truth to this dysfunctional relationship between Spielman and Zimmer. Sloter isn’t the only former player to hint at this.

True or not, the Vikings relieved Mike Zimmer and Rick Spielman of their duties following the 2021-22 season. A few weeks later, the Minnesota Vikings hired current General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and Head Coach Kevin O’Connell.

The Vikings still have yet to win that elusive first Super Bowl, however, having a head coach and general manager that collaborate effectively with one another is vital for the success of the organization. Good thing for the Vikings is that Adofo-Mensah and O’Connell seem to have the opposite type of relationship as Spielman and Zimmer.

Let’s hope that continues on for a very long time.