Vikings Set to Choose Next GM After Draft; Brzezinski Still Seen as a ‘Strong Candidate’

Rob Brzezinski is heading into what is potentially the final weekend as acting general manager of the Minnesota Vikings. In the wake of firing Kwesi Adofo-Mensah in January, Vikings leadership stated their desire to make a quick decision about the next general manager after the draft. With the draft mere hours away, the time for that decision is almost at hand for the Vikings' ownership group.

After parting ways with Adofo-Mensah, the Vikings elected to let longtime team executive Rob Brzezinski lead the football operations through the draft. Brzezinski has been around the team for decades and is highly respected inside and outside the building. It's long been thought that Brzezinski has had a good shot of landing the full-time general manager job if he wants it. CBS Sports' Jonathan Jones reported on Thursday that his sources are telling him that Brzezinski is a "strong candidate" for the permanent general manager job.

Interestingly, Jones added that Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell "is expected to have some say in the direction (the Vikings) go." This means either O'Connell will have a say in who his boss is going to be, or that there could be a dynamic change in the Vikings building, in which both head coach and general manager are on near-level footing.

Jones named 14 executives he has heard from sources as potential candidates for the job. Notably, he left out any executives with links to the Browns and 49ers, two teams where Adofo-Mensah had connections prior to taking over in Minnesota. According to Jones' reporting, those links have made it "unlikely" Minnesota will try to take from those teams again, after seemingly being burned with the Adofo-Mensah hire.

Full list of potential candidates, according to Jones (current team)

Chad Alexander (Chagers)
Chris Blanco (Texans)
Mike Bradway (Chiefs)
Trey Brown (Bengals)
Ryan Cowden (Patriots)
Ed Dodds (Colts)
Terrance Gray (Bills)
James Liipfert (Texans)
Rob McCartney (Bucs)
John McKay (Rams)
Lance Newmark (Commanders)
Nolan Teasley (Seahawks)
Tim Terry (Chiefs)
Andy Weidl (Steelers)

Several of the names on Jones' list have connections to the Vikings or the NFC North. Terrance Gray previously worked as a scout for the Vikings. John McKay and O'Connell crossed paths in Los Angeles when O'Connell was the Rams' offensive coordinator in 2020 and 2021. Lance Newmark spent 26 seasons in the Lions' front office, while Tim Terry spent 13 seasons in the Packers organization. Andy Weidl was previously linked to the vacant job back in February, with The Athletic's Alec Lewis naming him as one of 12 potential candidates at the time.

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