New Details and Candidates Emerge in Slow-Moving Vikings GM Search
We were told at the start of this process that the Minnesota Vikings’ search for a new general manager would be an expeditious one, due to where we currently sit in the NFL calendar.
That makes sense, since you can’t know how a new GM will view any player, if that GM is not in place. However, instead of blazing through candidates and quickly electing a new top dog, the MN Vikings have been dragging their feet and no longer seem in in any type of hurry.
Minnesota Vikings GM search slowly moving along
On Tuesday evening, Albert Breer (SI) reports that Minnesota is in the process of moving to the next phase of their interview process, whittling down the list of virtual interview candidates earlier in the day down to seven previously reported candidates.
Vikings GM interviews got underway this week, with the first set held over Zoom, followed by in-person interviews with the finalists. As essentially the only game in town, and because it’s a quiet time in the scouting calendar, Minnesota can take its time as it filters through assistant GMs
Albert Breer – Sports Illustrated
Other Vikings News: Minnesota Signs Two More UDFAs
Little did he know, just a couple hours later, the Minnesota Vikings would have another fresh batch of candidates for their general manager job, when Tom Pelissero (NFL.com) reported interviews for three more assistant general managers — Ray Agnew (Lions), Reed Burckhardt (Broncos) and Kyle Smith (Dolphins).
At this point, the Vikings have either interviewed or plan to interview assistant general managers from 9 of the NFL’s other 31 teams. The only candidate with prior general manager experience is Titans assistant GM, Kevin Ziegler, who spent two seasons as Las Vegas Raiders GM from 2021-2022.
Meet Minnesota’s 10 reported GM candidates
In total, counting Rob Brzezinski, the Minnesota Vikings’ list of reported interview candidates is up to ten. All of them were brought into the executive world as scouts, which is something to monitor.
It’s possible, as reported by Alec Lewis (The Athletic) and others, that the Wilfs come out of this crowning Rob as the president of football operations and the new GM as the head of scouting and player personnel, who reports to the Vikings’ long time executive, just like Kevin O’Connell will.
| GM Candidate | Current Team | Current Role |
|---|---|---|
| *Ray Agnew | Lions | Assistant GM |
| *Chad Alexander | Chargers | Assistant GM |
| *Reed Burckhardt | Broncos | Assistant GM |
| RJ Gillen | 49ers | Assistant GM |
| Terrance Gray | Bills | Assistant GM |
| John McKay | Rams | Assistant GM |
| Kyle Smith | Dolphins | Assistant GM |
| Nolan Teasely | Seahawks | Assistant GM |
| Dave Ziegler | Titans | Assistant GM |
| Rob Brzezinski | Vikings | Assistant GM |
MN Vikings head coach leading GM interviews
Speaking of Kevin O’Connell, he too was involved in today’s latest drop of Vikings reports that dropped on Tuesday. After the head coach made it clear during his press conference at rookie minicamp last week that the Wilfs had yet to include him in their GM pursuit, that has now changed.
In fact, not only will Minnesota’s owners lean on O’Connell’s opinion throughout this process, but according to Breer (SI), it’s KOC, next to owner Mark Wilf, who will be running this week’s round of zoom interviews.
Vikings co-owner Mark Wilf is leading the Zoom sessions alongside coach Kevin O’Connell.
Albert Breer – Sports Illustrated
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