The Minnesota Vikings‘ firing of general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has left the organization in flux for the foreseeable future.
While Vikings executive president of football operations Rob Brzezinski will be tasked with steadying the Vikings through free agency and the draft, a search for another executive is expected to take place this spring.
Based on the decision to hire an analytics-driven general manager backfiring with Adofo-Mensah, the Vikings are expected to pursue a candidate with a more traditional football background to collaborate with Brzezinski in his current role.
The Athletic’s Alec Lewis listed a dozen prospective candidates, headlined by Denver Broncos general manager George Paton.
Paton was Spielman’s right-hand man and would be a familiar candidate the Wilfs would trust. However, a source told Heavy Sports that Paton is unlikely to leave the Broncos, noting Denver’s success this season (making an AFC Championship appearance) and the rarity of a lateral move by a general manager.
Paton is entering the final year of his contract in Denver and is approaching potential contract extensions with the Broncos this offseason. Meanwhile, the quarterback situation with J.J. McCarthy in Minnesota would be a difficult sell to Paton after the Broncos’ success with Bo Nix.
The McCarthy situation is Kevin O’Connell’s to solve. The Vikings coach is positioned to have an even stronger influence on team decisions moving forward, and to avoid a consolidation of power, the Vikings would be wise to seek a third-party candidate to balance the scales.
Several candidates Lewis listed fit the bill.
Seahawks’ Scouting Leaders, Trent Kirchner & Matt Berry
If the Vikings are seeking a third-party candidate who isn’t directly tied to the organization or O’Connell, the Seattle Seahawks have a pair of executives who drove Seattle’s Super Bowl resurgence this year.
Vice president of player personnel Trent Kirchner and vice president of player acquisition Matt Berry are both hot candidates with the Seahawks for their scouting backgrounds.
“Kirchner is one of Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider’s top lieutenants. As Seattle’s vice president of player personnel, he oversees the pro and college scouting departments. He has worked in the NFL for two decades,” Lewis wrote.
“The pull here would be Berry’s experience with the draft. He scouted for years, then was tasked with coordinating Seattle’s college scouting apparatus. He held pre-draft meetings and had a significant hand in structuring the team’s draft board. Because the Seahawks have nailed so many early-round picks in recent years, Berry’s expertise would be worthwhile.”
Trey Brown, Bengals Assistant General Manager
A candidate with a deep well of experience as a former player turned executive is Cincinnati Bengals general manager Trey Brown. Starting as a scouting assistant with the New England Patriots in 2010, Brown contributed to the Patriots’ dynasty and helped build a Super Bowl-winning roster for the Philadelphia Eagles under Howie Roseman.
Brown took a foray into day-to-day football operations by taking a job as executive of football operations for the Birmingham Iron and director of player personnel for the St. Louis Battlehawks.
Since joining the Bengals in 2021, Brown has been promoted five times in three years, rising to become the lead player evaluator for the organization and a “central voice” for lead executive Mike Brown. The Bengals went from a four-win team to two consecutive AFC title games in Brown’s first two years with the organization.
Last year, Brown was listed among The Athletic’s “NFL 50 under 40” list, highlighting rising young stars in the NFL. Lewis noted Browns‘ ties to Flores and the Patriots as another appeal to his candidacy.
“Brown spent time in New England when Flores was there. In the early 2010s, Brown worked as an area scout for the organization, and Flores was a budding coach. Contributing to the Patriots’ dynasty would provide familiar evaluation language and likely a desire to covet many of the same skills,” Lewis wrote.
Ed Dodds, Colts Assistant General Manager
Indianapolis Colts assistant general manager Ed Dodds is a candidate that Lewis noted is one to watch in Minnesota.
“If the Wilfs look externally for an executive with a traditional football background, Dobbs fits the bill. He is a longtime scout with a no-nonsense disposition. The Athletic’s Zak Keefer profiled him in 2019 and wrote, “In the four months leading up to the draft, Dodds lives in the film room. His staff rips off 17 straight 12-hour workdays in February, poring through thousands of hours of tape, whittling each position down from hundreds to dozens,” Lewis wrote.
“This picture sits in stark contrast to Adofo-Mensah’s tenure. The question here, and with many of the following candidates, is less about their scouting chops than it is about their ability to lead a building with strong personalities and annual playoff expectations. Dodds interviewed with the Titans this past offseason and the Los Angeles Chargers in the offseason before that. He is a candidate to monitor.”
Vikings GM Search Takes Turn Amid George Paton Update