Just when their fans thought the Minnesota Vikings were on the path to a drama-free future, a report surfaced in the New York Post on Wednesday that team owner Zygi Wilf is pushing hard to bring future Hall of Fame coach Bill Parcells to Minnesota to "run the show."
What does that mean?
A source told the Post that Parcells said at a recent dinner with New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton and others that he was told by Wilf to "name his price" to both oversee the Vikings' football operations and coach the team.
The Vikings, however, denied that's the case.
"There is no truth to the media reports." Vikings spokesperson Bob Hagan told FOXSportsNorth.com on Wednesday.
Perhaps the truth is in the timing. Minneapolis' 1500ESPN.com's Tom Pelissero reported Wednesday that "a source with knowledge of the situation" says the Wilf-Parcells conversations happened a long time ago and that there has been no recent contact between the parties.
And, less than three months ago, the Vikings promoted Rick Spielman to general manager, breaking up a three-person committee that had been making all football decisions. Since that time, Spielman and coach Leslie Frazier have emphasized building for the future instead of seeking quick fixes in the wake of the team's 3-13 finish in 2011. Spielman's offseason free-agent moves — all low-cost and low-key — have fit that profile, despite the fact the Vikings have plenty of room under the salary cap.
Parcells, who reportedly has been considering filling in for Payton while the Saints' coach serves a one-year suspension for his role in Bountygate, will turn 71 in August. He has led the New York Giants and New England Patriots to Super Bowls and turned around franchises in his next two coaching stops, the New York Jets and Dallas Cowboys.
But Parcells has not coached since leaving the Cowboys after the 2006 season, and he hasn't been in a team's front office since spending 2008-10 as the Miami Dolphins' executive vice president of football operations.
Parcells has arrived at each of his NFL stops with plenty of drama and bluster. So, if he were to end up with the Vikings, it might mean the team isn't as committed to a return to normalcy as was previously believed.
