Minnesota Vikings general manager search took a slight detour, and it paints a clearer picture
There are quite a few candidates to be the Minnesota Vikings general manager, and a dark horse is officially out of the race.
We are going to spend the next couple of weeks discussing the future of the Minnesota Vikings. They are in the process of hiring a general manager, and there have been a few candidates already linked to the position.
Los Angeles Chargers assistant general manager Chad Alexander and Buffalo Bills assistant general manager Terrance Gray are two of the top candidates. Paired with the two internal candidates of Rob Brzezinski and Ryan Grigson, it’s an interesting discussion.
George Paton signs extension with Denver Broncos
The candidate pool shrank by one for the Vikings, once Denver Broncos general manager George Paton signed an extension to stay with the franchise for five more seasons.
Paton was a fascinating candidate for the Vikings as their general manager. He was with the organization a combined 14 seasons. He was the director of player personnel from 2007-2011 before becoming the assistant general manager in 2012. In 2015, he added vice president of player personnel to his AGM title.
Paton became the Broncos general manager in 2021, quickly making Pat Surtain II his original first-round pick calling him a “franchise cornerback.” The following offseason, he traded a massive haul for quarterback Russell Wilson. Even though that failed miserably, Paton has done a good job of building a quality roster from top to bottom.
It was always somewhat of a pipe dream for Paton to become the general manager. Being that he was under contract, the Vikings were going to have to do something like trade for his contract. It could have been expensive to make that trade, possibly as much as a first-round pick. It would have fit the motif of the Wilf’s, as they have consistently prioritized stability, defaulting to people they know. Until his contract situation was settled, he was always going to hover over the search.
With Paton now extended, that potential pip dream will no longer be on the table.