The Minnesota Vikings have begun their general manager search. Owners Zygi and Mark Wilf have hired a search firm to aid them in the process. There are a lot of candidates for the Vikings, and most of them will have a background in scouting.

In order to get their next general manager, an extensive interview process will be held. There are a lot of external candidates they can interview, and it will certainly happen, but a unique opportunity exists internally.

Rob Brzezinski could be promoted and still not be the general manager

Before the Vikings fired Rick Spielman after the 2021 season, there was a belief the Vikings would promote him to a high-ranking executive role, but not be the lead football decision maker. Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer referenced that in a recent YouTube video, and it makes a lot of sense.

“It starts with Rob Brzezinski. He is the interim GM right now, and he has shown some interest in the in the general manager job. You could also pair Rob Brzezinski and sort of the executive vice president role, with more of a scouting type of GM. The idea of that makes a lot of sense. And if you if Brzezinski wanted to stay in his current role, plus a little authority, maybe you have a two headed monster there, with Kevin O’Connell being kind of the third guy. It’s part of that power structure, maybe Brzezinski becomes the general manager. I also think that the Vice President of Player Personnel, Ryan Grigson, has done a really nice job. He’s got the respect of the people in the building. He’s very close to the defensive coordinator, Brian Flores. I just I’m not sure how that would work with Brzezinski if he wants the job. Does Brzezinski get the first crack at it over Grigson, based on his tenure there? It’d be interesting to watch. They don’t have much urgency to do anything right now. The draft is in the rear view mirror. This is sort of a slower time in the calendar for scouts, and they don’t have anybody they’re competing with for candidates. So the Vikings have an opportunity here to kind of lay out look at their options. Take a good, hard look at all the guys, and then make make the right pick for their franchise.”

Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer

It’s an interesting idea for the Vikings to make this kind of move. Would Brzezinski be open to another promotion outside of roster control when he got a small taste of it over the last three months? And if he was okay with that, who would he want to be the general manager?

Grigson is an intriguing option, and hiring him would be another signal that the only issue was Adofo-Mensah. However, it would still be an uninspiring hire considering how poor the NFL Drafts he has been involved with.

Even if it’s not the most desireable option, don’t discount it, especially due to Brian Flores’ relationship with Grigson. There were rumors about Flores and Grigson being a package deal when he was taking head coaching interviews last offseason. It could be a long-term play if Kevin O’Connell isn’t the head coach long-term.