Who is Nolan Teasley? What to Know About the Vikings’ New GM

Here's everything to know about the Vikings' new general manager.

The Vikings have landed their next general manager. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Vikings have finally found their next general manager.

Per Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, the Vikings are hiring Nolan Teasley as their new general manager. Teasley replaces Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, who the Vikings fired earlier this offseason after four seasons with the team. Rob Brzezinski served as the team’s interim general manager through the draft, and will remain with the Vikings as their executive vice president of football operations, a position he has held since 2014.

Related: In the End, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s Shaky NFL Draft History Came Back to Haunt Him

During their search, the Vikings interviewed several candidates for the job, including Teasley, Brzezinski, Rams assistant general manager John McKay and Bills assistant general manager Terrance Gray. Teasley ultimately won the role.

So who is Nolan Teasley? Here’s a look at his background as he assumes the role as the Vikings general manager.

Nolan Teasley’s rise to the Vikings GM

Teasley heads to Minnesota after spending the past 13 years in the Seahawks organization. A Washington native, Teasley began playing football at the age of 11 and became a running back for Central Washington University. He stopped playing football after his junior year of college after he struggled to play well, and graduated with a degree in Public Relations and Business in 2007.

According to a 2019 story from the CWU’s sports page, Teasley worked in marketing after he graduated but did not like the position. After six years, he wrote letters to all 32 NFL teams, seeking a position with a professional football team. He received an interview with the Seahawks, and was hired as an intern for the franchise in 2013.

"If I would've gone to the internship right out of college and didn't go and do something that I didn't want to do, I don't think I would've worked the same way or as hard,” Teasley told CWU in 2019. “It's just all part of my path. I was really just chomping at the bit when I got the opportunity because I knew that this is what I wanted to do, and I knew that I didn't want to do what I used to do."

Teasley rose from an intern to a pro personnel scout from 2014-16, an assistant director of player personnel in 2017 and the director of player personnel from 2018-22. He has spent the past four years as the Seahawks assistant general manger.

Throughout his entire time with the organization, Teasley worked under Seahawks general manager John Schneider, one of the most respected people at his position in the NFL. According to his biography with the Seahawks, Teasley has worked collaboratively with Schneider “in all aspects of player acquisition via the draft, free agency and trade proposals.” Teasley also managed the development of the roster with the Seahawks’ performance team.

Since Teasley joined the Seahawks, the franchise has won two Super Bowls and been one of the top teams in the league. The Seahawks managed to successfully turn over their roster into another Super Bowl contender over that time, and hired Mike Macdonald, who led them to their second Lombardi trophy.

Teasley will now look to bring that success to the Vikings, a franchise that has never won the Super Bowl and has not appeared in the big game since the 1976-77 season. The Vikings have been a playoff contender in recent years, but have not won a postseason game since 2019 as they have struggled to draft well and find their long-term quarterback over the past few seasons. Teasley, alongside Brzezinski and coach Kevin O’Connell, will be charged with changing those fortunes.

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