Adam Zimmer, an assistant coach in the NFL and the son of former Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer, died unexpectedly at age 38, his sister Corri announced on Instagram.
No cause of death has been made public.
Corri’s post announcing the tragic news is heartbreaking:
“I can’t believe I’m writing this. I lost my big brother yesterday. The kindest, sweetest, family loving, sports obsessed soul there ever was. I’ve felt pain like this once before but it’s been a while and I didn’t know I was able to feel like this again. My heart is shattered and it hurts so bad. I don’t know how to juggle being a mom to one year old twin boys and the grief of losing my brother so unexpectedly.
I’m so lost, I’m so overwhelmed, I’m so heartbroken. My brother was one of my best friends, especially after my mom died, we became so close. He was always there for me and always the first to show up and volunteer at my foundation events… I never even had to ask. Always telling me what a good job I did and how proud he was of me. His support and love for me was SO big and I hope he knew how much I loved him. In the last year he told me countless times how he loved watching me be a mom and how proud he was of me. Please pray for our family as we try to navigate through this. Lord, we need your strength now more than ever. Please don’t let us lose faith.
Adam, I love you so much and I will miss you every second of every day until I see you again. Please watch over us and help us be okay.”
NFL reported:
Zimmer, the son of former Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer, was a consultant for the Cincinnati Bengals this season and had previously been an NFL assistant from 2006 through 2022.
“Our organization has had the privilege of knowing and working with the Zimmer family for 15 years,” Bengals owner Mike Brown said in a statement Tuesday. “We have the highest regard for Mike and Adam, and we are incredibly saddened by this tragic news. Mike and Adam were more than just coaches for us — they were friends. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Zimmer family at this time.”
Adam began his NFL coaching career with the New Orleans Saints as an assistant linebackers coach from 2006-2009, and was a part of the club’s Super Bowl-winning staff in his final year.
“The thoughts and prayers of the New Orleans Saints organization go out to the entire Zimmer family, including Adam’s father, Mike and his two sisters, Corri and Marki, following the passing of Adam Zimmer,” the New Orleans Saints said in a statement. “We had fond memories of Adam from the four years that he spent in our organization as an assistant coach from 2006-09, including serving as a member of our Super Bowl Championship coaching staff. Adam was knowledgeable, hard working, well-liked by everyone he came into contact with and enthusiastic. During his time with the Saints, he quickly developed into an excellent coach. His efforts as a member of the coaching staff, first as a defensive assistant and then as assistant linebackers coach in 2009, were important to this football team, as it built up quickly to reach a championship level.”
Zimmer later coached for the Kansas City Chiefs and Cincinnati Bengals after his time in New Orleans.
From 2014 through 2022, Zimmer was part of his father’s coaching staff on the Vikings — first as a linebackers coach from 2014-2019 and then as co-defensive coordinator from 2020-2022.
