Aaron Rodgers: 'Absolutely crazy' to put Vikings' Zimmer on hot seat

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers doesn't agree with any recent criticism directed toward Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer.

"He's a phenomenal coach," Rodgers said Wednesday, according to Nick Shook of NFL.com. "I was telling a friend of mine, to see (Zimmer) mentioned to be on the hot seat, to me, is absolutely crazy. I think he's one of the best coaches in the league and has been for a long time.

"They don't all give you the trouble and the scheme that Mike does. I have a lot of respect for the way he coaches and the way he especially coaches defense."

As NFC North rivals, Rodgers has faced off against the Zimmer-led Vikings 12 times. The Packers signal-caller is 7-4-1 in those games, which includes a 43-34 victory in their Week 1 meeting.

Zimmer is under pressure as the Vikings have started their season 1-5. Minnesota is currently on a two-game skid, and its defense ranks 30th in the NFL with 32 points allowed per contest.

After the Vikings lost several veteran defenders to free agency, injuries sidelined several key players in the first month of the season, including defensive end Danielle Hunter and linebacker Anthony Barr.

Zimmer, who inked a multi-year extension with Minnesota in July, owns a 58-43 regular-season record since taking the reins in 2014. He's led the Vikings to the playoffs three times.