Giants deny request by Cowboys to interview defensive line coach Andre Patterson, per report

One of the more significant long-standing NFL rivalries is between the Dallas Cowboys and the New York Giants. And although it is the off season, fans should not expect their disdain for one another to take a hiatus until the next season starts.

Nope. In fact, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, even before the official start of the 2024 offseason, the Giants are keeping the rivalry going by playing some defense when it comes to staff hires.

“And, the Giants now have denied the Cowboys’ request for permission to meet with their defensive line coach Andre Patterson, who was the defensive line coach and co-defensive coordinator in Minnesota under Mike Zimmer,” said Schefter via X.

If anybody knows what to expect from the Cowboys’ new defensive coordinator, it is Patterson. Mike Zimmer was the Minnesota Vikings head coach from 2014 to 2021. And the entire time, Patterson was right by his side. During that time, he held and maintained multiple positions throughout the organization, starting with defensive line coach, all the way up to holding three positions simultaneously for Zimmer in 2021. It was then that Patterson was named Minnesota’s assistant head coach, co-defensive coordinator, and defensive line coach.

The chemistry and history between Zimmer and Patterson is well documented. And with the Cowboys being one of the Giants’ biggest rivals, it is more than understandable why they are not allowing Dallas to potentially poach away their defensive line coach.

Cowboys agree to terms with Mike Zimmer as defensive coordinator

The Dallas Cowboys finally have their new defensive coordinator. Mike Zimmer has agreed to terms with the Cowboys, according to a report from Tom Pelissero.

Pelissero previously reported last week that Dallas was expected to hire Zimmer. However, there were a few twists and turns after that.

Rex Ryan, who was reportedly also in the mix for the job, made headlines on Sunday ahead of the Super Bowl when he shared that from what he had heard, the deal with Mike Zimmer wasn’t done.

“First off, I’m not so sure Zimmer’s got that job right now,” Ryan said on the Super Bowl LVIII pregame show on ESPN. “Not that sure about that. I can honestly say that I don’t believe that’s a fact right now.”

However, now it appears that the Cowboys do indeed have their man and that Zimmer will be the defensive coordinator.

Zimmer is replacing Dan Quinn, who was hired as the head coach of the Washington Commanders this offseason. The 67-year-old most recently coached in the NFL as the head coach of the Vikings from 2014-2021. The Vikings made the playoffs three times under Zimmer, reaching the NFC Championship Game in 2017.

This is Zimmer’s second stint with the Cowboys as he previously worked as an assistant in Dallas from 1994-2006. From 2000-2006 he was the defensive coordinator for Dallas.

From there, he spent one season as the defensive coordinator for the Falcons, before being the defensive coordinator for the Bengals from 2008-13. The job he did in Cincinnati eventually landed him the Vikings head coaching job.

The 67-year-old Zimmer is used to coaching against Mike McCarthy. Now he will be joining him on the sidelines in Dallas. While Zimmer was in Minnesota, his Vikings played McCarthy’s Packers twice per season from 2014-18.