Minnesota Vikings General Manager Candidates

After the surprising firing of Kwesi Adofo-Menash hit the books, attention turned to who will be the next general manager of the Minnesota Vikings. It’s a bit early as team ownership said that the decision won’t be made until after the 2026 NFL Draft. Between now and then, Rob Brzezinski will oversee the personnel department. His title is Executive Vice President - Football Operations. His primary responsibility is the salary cap and negotiating contracts. He’s been with the Vikings since 1999 and has become one of the most respected and valued executives. As the interim general manager, I see his role as a unifier and a tie-breaker, if need be. I also see this new role as very much temporary. 

Many talking heads and fans have latched on to Rob Brzezinski as a serious candidate for the Vikings permanent GM job. Mark Wilf perhaps pushed those thoughts when he said that Brzezinski would be considered. I don’t see it. If Brzezinski truly wanted the Vikings general manager job, we would’ve heard about it by now. He’s been with the team since 1999. He probably would’ve been considered when Rick Spielman got the job. He definitely would’ve been considered when Kwesi Adofo-Mensah got the job. I believe that Brzezinski knows his strengths and where he’s needed. His strengths are with the salary cap and he’s very much needed there. He’s been brilliant. I don’t see him as the Vikings next general manager. 

If Rob Brzezinski is #1 on the candidate list of talking heads and fans, current Denver Broncos general manager George Paton is #2. It’s a fairly lazy take as Paton left the Vikings to take the top personnel job with the Broncos. So, just because he has a past with the Vikings means that he’s returning despite being under contract with the Broncos. If current GMs are candidates, why not Howie Roseman or John Schneider or Eric DeCosta? The only way the Vikings can add Paton is by giving draft picks for him. There’s no way that’s happening.

Who are “legitimate” candidates to be the Vikings next general manager? I’m certain of one thing. Vikings next general manager will not be an “analytics guy.” The next Vikings general manager will come with a history, hopefully long history, of scouting and personnel experience. Here are some of my favorite potential candidates.

Chad Alexander - Chargers Assistant General Manager 

John McKay - Rams Assistant General Manager 

Mike Bradway - Chiefs Assistant General Manager 

Will McClay - Cowboys VP of Player Personnel 

George Kokinis - Ravens VP of Player Personnel 

Ed Dobbs - Colts Assistant General Manager 

Terrance Gray - Bills Assistant General Manager 

Andy Weidl - Steelers Assistant General Manager 

Ray Agnew - Lions Assistant General Manager 

The Athletic’s Alec Lewis directed me to several more intriguing candidates:

Ryan Cowden - Patriots VP of Player Personnel 

Jeff King - Bears Senior Director of Player Personnel

Reed Burckhardt - Broncos Assistant General Manager 

Trey Brown - Bengals Assistant General Manager 

Trent Kirchner - Seahawks VP of Player Personnel 

Matt Berry - Seahawks VP of Player Acquisition

VP of Player Acquisition! Come on! What kind of title is that?

Anyway, that’s 15 candidates. That feels like a lot. The list in front of the Wilfs is probably longer. If I have to narrow the 15 to five, my top five, right now, probably looks like this.

Chad Alexander

Ed Dobbs

Ryan Cowden

Trey Brown

Trent Kirchner

In the rivalry of scouting vs analytics, I’ve always been, and always be, with the scouting side. I appreciate the inclusion of analytics into the process but I’ll never understand “scouting” from a spreadsheet. I look forward to the Vikings return to a “scouting” GM. I narrowed the candidate list to the above five for their scouting experience, the drafting of the teams that employed them, and a general feel or hunch. 

I know that the right general manager for the Vikings is out there. I hope they find that general manager.