And Then There Were Six

When Minnesota Vikings ownership announced the start of the search for a new general manager, they said the process would proceed without public announcement of candidates and interviews. It would be done in secret. Nothing is secret in the National Football League. On Wednesday, it was reported that the Vikings had requested an interview with Buffalo Bills assistant general manager Terrance Gray. The Vikings might not be releasing any of the search particulars but someone is. A day later, it was reported that the Vikings had requested interviews with five more assistant general managers across the league. Here are the six external candidates to be the Vikings next general manager.

Terrance Gray - Buffalo Bills Assistant General Manager

Dave Ziegler - Tennessee Titans Assistant General Manager

RJ Gillen - San Francisco 49ers Assistant General Manager

Chad Alexander - Los Angeles Chargers Assistant General Manager

John McKay - Los Angeles Rams General Manager

Nolan Teasley - Seattle Seahawks Assistant General Manager

As the Vikings interim general manager, Rob Brzezinski guided the team through this offseason after the January 30th firing of Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. Brzezinski has been a franchise fixture since 1999. He’s a candidate for the full-time job. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I prefer that he returns to his longtime role as salary cap wizard. The general manager is annually in jeopardy of losing their job. Brzezinski is too important to the Vikings front office to be in that sort of situation. Maybe they expand his involvement to all parts of the football operation. Perhaps the new general manager works in some sort of tandem with Brzezinski. Who knows? I just believe that the Vikings should hire an external candidate. With that in mind, I like the six candidates that have become the focus of the team’s search. 

I like that all six rose through the scouting ranks of their respective teams. I get the value of analytics in player evaluation but I’m about done with analytic-focused individuals being the top-shot caller for teams. A player isn’t defined by a spreadsheet. Anyway, my initial list of about a dozen candidates included three of the six. 

Chad Alexander

Terrance Gray

John McKay

Chad Alexander has been one of my favorites to be the Vikings next general manager from the start. Of the six candidates, he’s been scouting football the longest. He’s been doing it so long that it’s a bit shocking that he hasn’t been hired to run a team. As with all of the candidates, he’s interviewed with several teams in recent years. He’s ready for the job. It was easy to circle Terrance Gray as a candidate simply for the 11 years he spent as a scout with the Vikings. Brandon Beane plucked him away in 2017 and Gray has simply risen through the organization. John McKay is probably the top choice of many Vikings fans. The Los Angeles Rams have a strong front office. Just like the coaches under Sean McVay, a young Rams decision-maker is the next hot candidate for the next opening. McKay also has working experience with Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell. 

When making that early wishlist, I was looking at the Seattle Seahawks front office. I was initially focusing on Vice President of Player Personnel Trent Kirchner. Chad Alexander, Terrance Gray, and Kirchner had been my top trio for most of the offseason. I’m not sure why I focused on Trinchner over Nelson Teasley. Since the release of “the six,” my top trio is now Alexander, Gray, and Teasley. If I had to rank the six candidates, it might look like this:

1. Chad Alexander

2. Nelson Teasley

3. Terrance Gray

4. John McKay

5. RJ Gillen

6. Dave Ziegler

Honestly, I wouldn’t be disappointed with any of the six. It’s not like I know or have even talked to any of them. How could I possibly have an informed opinion? Somehow, I do.