The Dallas Cowboys have settled on a coaching reunion by deciding to bring back Mike Zimmer as defensive coordinator to replace Dan Quinn.

The Minnesota Vikings have finalized their hiring of head coach Kevin O’Connell.

Jim Harbaugh will stay at Michigan after all.

Jacksonville’s meandering coaching search has a new twist.

A person with knowledge of the process says the Minnesota Vikings and Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh had exploratory conversations about their coaching vacancy Saturday and both sides are gauging interest.

From the NFC North to the AFC East, the firings began almost immediately after the NFL’s first 17-game season concluded.

The Minnesota Vikings have fired general manager Rick Spielman and coach Mike Zimmer.

The Minnesota Vikings have placed quarterback Kirk Cousins on the COVID-19 reserve list.

The Minnesota Vikings say defensive end Everson Griffen has emerged from his home without incident and is receiving care for his mental health.

Minnesota beat Green Bay by making sure Aaron Rodgers didn't get to touch the ball last.

Minnesota Vikings running back Dalvin Cook maintains he was the victim in a fight last year with a former girlfriend suing him for personal injury.

Kirk Cousins completed a 27-yard touchdown pass to K.

The Minnesota Vikings accelerated past Seattle 30-17 for their first win over the Seahawks in 12 years.

Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins has been activated from the COVID-19 reserve list.

Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins has been absent from practice this week due to COVID-19 protocols.

The Minnesota Vikings are facing a severe shortage of quarterbacks early in training camp.

FILE - In this Sunday, Dec. 20, 2020 file photo, Arizona Cardinals cornerback Patrick Peterson (21) reacts to a play during an NFL football game against the Philadelphia Eagles in Glendale, Ariz. The Minnesota Vikings agreed to a one-year contract worth up to $10 million with eight-time Pro Bowl cornerback Patrick Peterson on Wednesday March 17, 2021 according to a person with knowledge of the negotiations. (AP Photo/Jennifer Stewart, File)MINNEAPOLIS – The Minnesota Vikings agreed to a one-year contract worth up to $10 million with eight-time Pro Bowl cornerback Patrick Peterson on Wednesday night, according to a person with knowledge of the negotiations. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the team had yet to announce the deal. Peterson, a three-time All-Pro pick, played 10 seasons with the Arizona Cardinals after being drafted fifth overall out of LSU in 2011.

Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield looks to throw during the first half of an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Sunday, Jan. 3, 2021, in Cleveland. However, a league spokesman said Thursday there “is no change to the status of the game” at Heinz Field. As his first postseason appearance draws near, Mayfield said he's been doing all he can at home to get ready. For special teams coordinator Mike Priefer, Sunday's game is a scenario he knew was possible due to the pandemic. “Make no mistake, this is Kevin’s team,” said Priefer, a Cleveland native.

(AP Photo/Butch Dill)MINNEAPOLIS – Running back Dalvin Cook is not practicing with the Minnesota Vikings this week, due to the death of his father. Cook has a younger brother, James Cook, who is a running back for Georgia. He was picked for a second straight Pro Bowl, with 1,557 rushing yards, 361 receiving yards and 17 total touchdowns in 14 games. Cook’s absence will clinch a second consecutive rushing title for Tennessee’s Derrick Henry, who has a 220-yard lead on Cook. Cook has a slim lead on Henry atop the NFL with 1,918 total yards.

New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara (41) breaks free past Minnesota Vikings cornerback Cameron Dantzler (27), outside linebacker Eric Wilson (50) and defensive end D.J. He finished with a career-high 155 yards rushing to help New Orleans beat the Minnesota Vikings 52-33 on Friday and clinch a fourth straight NFC South title. He has since set Saints records for rushing TDs in a season with 16 and total TDs with 21 (he has five receiving). It would be 8-yard gain, 7-yard gain.”The Saints (11-4) never punted, and set a record of yards gained in a game by a Vikings opponent with 583. New Orleans' 264 yards rushing were the most by a Vikings opponent in Zimmer's seven seasons.

The surging Vikings (6-6) are nipping at their heels in a crowded NFC race. That’s what December is all about.”If the playoffs started this week, the Bucs would hold the sixth seed in the NFC. The Vikings are in the seventh — and final — spot, with games against remaining against Chicago, New Orleans and Detroit after Sunday. The Vikings have been breaking in an especially young group of cornerbacks on the fly, with measured improvement after some rough performances earlier. They can’t worry too much about the aura of the great players that they have,” Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said.

The Minnesota Vikings reopened their headquarters for team activities on Thursday, following another morning of zero positive COVID-19 test results four days after playing a Tennessee Titans team that experienced the NFL's first outbreak. The Vikings announced their resumption of practice shortly after the league postponed Tennessee's home game on Sunday against Pittsburgh. Minnesota plays at Houston on Sunday, a game between two of the NFL's six 0-3 teams that remains on track for now. Vikings coaches took their strategizing for the Texans home on Tuesday, which is already a day off for the players unless they need injury treatment. Then instead of taking the field to install the game plan for the week on Wednesday, players discussed it virtually with the coaches via video conference.

Davante Adams was predictably the biggest beneficiary, with a career-high, franchise-record-tying 14 catches for 156 yards and two scores. Aaron Jones rushed for 66 yards and a touchdown for the Packers, who posted their highest score against the Vikings since a 44-31 victory at the Metrodome on Oct. 27, 2013. Jaire Alexander, who also recorded a safety on an untouched cornerback blitz in the second quarter, made the bobbling interception. When LG Lucas Patrick (shoulder) was forced out in the second quarter, Jenkins moved back to his original spot and free agent addition Rick Wagner entered at RT. ... DT Kenny Clark (groin) was hurt in the second quarter during Alexander's interception and didn't return.

The NFL has updated its gameday protocols by requiring every coach and staff member in the bench area to wear a mask and reducing the size of each teams travel party. Owners also will have to follow COVID-19 testing requirements to gain access to the locker room, field or team charter. We have been really fortunate that cases of COVID-19 are very low across the league, Goodell said Tuesday. It is a testament to the plans, but most importantly to the diligence of the players, the teams and their staffs. I believe that we may be having a lot of teams that will start with no fans in the beginning this season, and then evolve to fans, Goodell said.

Jean Alexandre, 65, was reported to be in good health and will be reunited with this family, the Okeechobee County Sheriff's Office said in a Twitter post Thursday morning. We are all relieved and grateful that he was found, and that he was found well," Brian Pakett, an attorney representing Mackensie Alexander, told The Associated Press on Thursday morning. Alexander, 26, and another man, 28-year-old Evins Clement, were arrested by Collier County sheriffs deputies Tuesday night. Alexander grew up in the small farming community of Immokalee, in southwest Florida, where his family still lives. The man told deputies Alexander then threatened to get a gun from his car.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Mackensie Alexander was jailed Wednesday on a charge of misdemeanor battery after deputies say he beat up a man shortly after returning to Florida to help search for his missing father. Investigators say another man told them he and Alexandre drove about 80 miles (130 kilometers) to pick palmetto berries in Okeechobee County on Monday. The man, whose name has not been released, told deputies he had left Alexandre behind. The Okeechobee County Sheriff's Office said Wednesday that they are searching for Alexandre but referred all other questions to Collier County. The man told deputies that Alexander then threatened to get a gun from his car.

ALLEN PARK, Mich. In two-plus weeks, the NFL kicks off its season. That doesn't leave much time to resolve significant issues about its COVID-19 testing procedures. Among teams reporting false positives, the Minnesota Vikings had 12, the New York Jets 10, the Chicago Bears nine and the Detroit Lions one. Five labs across the country process tests for the league's 32 teams and only the New Jersey facility had false positives on Saturday. The Cleveland Browns initially canceled practice, but after re-testing turned up negative tests they decided to have their workout.

FILE - In this Dec. 8, 2019, file photo, Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer watches from the sideline during the first half of an NFL football game against the Detroit Lions in Minneapolis. The Vikings signed head coach Zimmer on Friday, July 24, 2020, to a three-year contract extension through the 2023 season. (AP Photo/Bruce Kluckhohn, File)MINNEAPOLIS The Minnesota Vikings signed head coach Mike Zimmer to a three-year contract extension through the 2023 season, finalizing a key piece of business Friday before the beginning of training camp. Coach Zimmer brings an intensity and consistency to the field that our players and fans alike appreciate. Zimmer's son, linebackers coach Adam Zimmer, will serve as co-defensive coordinator with defensive line coach Andre Patterson this year.

George Floyd was killed less than three miles from the stadium where the Minnesota Vikings play, so this global unrest over racial relations and justice hit awfully close to home for the team. (Brian Peterson/Star Tribune via AP)MINNEAPOLIS Eric Kendricks woke up distressed shortly after George Floyd was killed just a few miles from the stadium where the Minnesota Vikings play. Commissioner Roger Goodell issued an apology the day after for not listening earlier and encouraged players to speak up and peacefully protest. For the Vikings, like their fellow Twin Cities sports figures, the death of Floyd hit close to home. Timberwolves guard D'Angelo Russell marched with protesters in his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky, where the death of Breonna Taylor has also stirred uprising.