Does Brzezinski Want the GM Job, Or Did He Just Set the Table for Someone Else?

With the general manager search now shifting into full gear, Brzezinski may not be the top option.

Vikings interim GM Rob Brzezinski during the 2026 NFL Draft. | Minnesota Viking

After leading his first NFL Draft, Rob Brzezinski could be named the general manager of the Minnesota Vikings, or return to his long-time role as the executive vice president of football operations, among other possibilities.

The most important question that still doesn't have an answer is whether Brezinski even wants the job. The Athletic's Alec Lewis left that question up for debate by saying Brezinski is where the Vikings' search begins, but only "if Brzezinski wants the job."

"Nobody understands the organization’s internal dynamics better than Brzezinski, and there is immense internal support for him at all levels throughout the building," Lewis wrote. "He knows the coaches’ preferences and personalities. He has helped shape the makeup of the current roster. For years, other NFL teams have poked around about hiring him, which is as much about his relational feel as it is his financial wherewithal."

Adding more doubt to Brzezinski as the next full-time GM is ESPN's Kevin Seifert reporting Tuesday that "he is in no way a preferred candidate," and that the Wilfs, who own the Vikings, "are going to run a genuinely open-ended search."

Seifert implied that there are some people who believe the Wilfs waited to make a move on a general manager to ensure that Brzezinski did "the dirty job of imposing financial order, setting up the next general manager with a much cleaner slate."

After trading edge rusher Jonathan Greenard to the Eagles during the draft, the Vikings have dedicated roughly $100 million less to the 2026 roster than they did in 2025, when they went gangbusters in free agency.

As a talent evaluator, Brzezinski may not be the ideal candidate. Minnesota could overcome that by hiring a player personnel expert or, as Lewis mentioned, by leaning on the coaches already on staff.

Before the NFL Draft, CBS Sports' Jonathan Jones called Brzezinski a "strong candidate" for the full-time role. He also suggested that the Vikings could adjust the front office philosophy by creating a role that would make him the president of football operations, at which point he could oversee the hiring of a natural GM.

"Sources believe Brzezinski is a strong candidate for the permanent job, or he could even get a promotion," Jones said. "If the Vikings opt for a front-office structure that has been emerging in the NFL in recent years, Brzezinski could serve as some sort of president of football operations as the incoming GM focuses on personnel."

With the draft over and free agency left to slim pickings, the Vikings can find their next GM and give them a foundation to work from, with eyes on competing in 2026 and then taking advantage of a loaded draft class in 2027.