The Minnesota Vikings made major decisions involving their general manager position. In January, the Vikings decided to fire Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and named Rob Brzezinski, the team’s executive vice president of football operations, their interim general manager.
Brzezinski held onto the role through free agency and the 2026 NFL Draft, then on May 30, the Vikings hired former Seattle Seahawks assistant general manager Nolan Teasley to take over the general manager role.
Teasley spent time in Seattle after joining the organization in 2014 as a pro scout. Former Seahawks star Richard Sherman, who knows him well, shared his thoughts on Teasley landing the Vikings general manager job.
“It’s really incredible, and it’s fantastic, and I love it,” Sherman said on the June 24 edition of “The Richard Sherman Podcast.“ “He’s a guy who works incredibly hard, a guy who cares about the players, he cares about his job, he cares about the organizations.
“He’s put in the time, and that’s the hard part for a lot of people who get in these positions, is they haven’t worked themselves through, they haven’t taken the stairs to the top. A lot of people get the elevator, and then you get to the top, and you don’t know how to operate.”
Vikings to Benefit From Nolan Teasley’s Path to GM
Moreover, Sherman believes that Minnesota will benefit from Teasley having worked his way up the ladder, as he went from pro scout to assistant director of pro personnel to director of pro personnel and finally to assistant general manager.
“When you take the stairs, you know how the building operates,“ Sherman added. “You know what the first floor does, you know what the second floor does, you know what the third floor does. And I think that’s important in leadership and the guys you put in leadership positions. I think he’s going to do a fantastic job for the Minnesota Vikings and I’m excited to see it.”
Kevin O’Connell on New Minnesota GM Nolan Teasley
Moreover, Teasley isn’t starting from scratch as he’s inheriting a team that’s looking to compete. Teasley also has arguably one of the best offensive head coaches in football to work with in Kevin O’Connell. O’Connell recently spoke with the media on June 3 and shared his thoughts on Teasley’s hiring.
“Just very excited, not only about today, but most importantly about the moment we clear the aspect of introducing Nolan, most importantly to our building and to our staff,” O’Connell said. “He’s already met with our coaching staff this morning and the football staff.
“But getting to work, he absolutely was a phenomenal presence throughout the process that I felt very fortunate to be a part of, and I’ll speak to that in a moment.”
O’Connell also noted that because Teasley is coming from the Seahawks, the new Vikings general manager brings that knowledge of what it takes to build a championship team.
“It became pretty clear very quickly that the background he’s had within a great organization is significant,” O’Connell added. “I respect [Seahawks general manager] John Schneider so much and what they’ve been able to build in Seattle.
“Not only competing against those guys for a long time, but also we’re always observant, always observing the quality organizations in this league. We believe we’re one of them.”
Richard Sherman Doesn’t Hold Back on Vikings Hiring Nolan Teasley