BREAKING: Vikings Fire Mike Zimmer, Who Could Join Cowboys if Coach Dan Quinn Leaves - Source

Mike Zimmer's next assignment might be to keep pushing the Dallas Cowboys over that hump - in 2022.

Mike Zimmer has been the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings for eight years, and has never quite gotten over the hump.

His next assignment might be to keep pushing the Dallas Cowboys over that hump - in 2022.

Zimmer was officially dismissed by the Vikings on Monday morning (along with GM Rick Spielman, per NFL Network.) Sources tell CowboysSI.com that in the event that present defensive coordinator Dan Quinn moves on to a head coaching job after Dallas' present run is over, Zimmer - a former Cowboys assistant with deep ties to the Jones family - will be high on the list of potential Quinn replacements.

Quinn, as we've reported, will be a top candidate to take over in Denver with the Broncos having fired Vic Fangio. We're also told that if Seattle parts ways with long-time coach Pete Carroll, the Seahawks will be interested in bringing Quinn back there. (See our Cowboys Coach Tracker here.)

Zimmer, 65, has a hard-nosed approach to his job but is also generally liked by players - something he has in common with Quinn.

If Quinn leaves, he could attempt to take top Dallas assistant Joe Whitt Jr. with him. If Whitt stays in Dallas, he could be elevated to the top spot, as could senior assistant George Edwards. And of course, once on the Coaching Carousel, Fangio will be a candidate to jump back in as a defensive coordinator somewhere.

But the Cowboys' attraction to Zimmer is a long-standing one ... and one that could come to fruition depending on how the Quinn-related dominoes fall.

For now, Quinn and head coach Mike McCarthy are busy in charge of a 12-5 Dallas team that won the NFC East and opens the NFL playoffs next week.

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