Minnesota Vikings general manager search is set to begin after the NFL Draft, and the top candidates have one common trait
The Minnesota Vikings don’t currently have a general manager with Rob Brzezinski as the interim. If they don’t give him the job, they are likely going to be looking at candidates with traditional scouting backgrounds.
The Minnesota Vikings didn’t surprise many when they fired general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, but how they went about it.
If they had done it within a week of the end of the season, nobody would have batted an eye. Instead, they chose to move on from him the day after he returned from the Senior Bowl. That was a really interesting factor in the entire discussion.
With Adofo-Mensah out, Rob Brzezinski took over in an interim capacity. Having been the salary cap guru for years and with the organization since 1999, he is a serious candidate. If they prefer to keep Brzezinski in his role to handle the salary cap, finding someone who is the opposite of Adofo-Mensah is going to be paramount. A scouting-focused general manager is the likely priority.
Who are the top candidates for the position? I spoke to our resident front office and coaching expert, AJ Schulte, to break down the best candidates.
Minnesota Vikings general manager candidates
Buffalo Bills Asst. GM Terrance Gray
Gray should be a familiar name for Vikings fans, as he made his name as a college scout under Rick Spielman and George Paton in Minnesota, with much of his time as the Southeast scout. He’s been a finalist for numerous job openings in recent years after being a hot riser up the ranks with the Bills. Gray is Brandon Beane’s top assistant and plays a role in most of their decision-making, particularly in the draft. Reportedly, Gray was a huge figure in the Bills’ selections of Maxwell Hairston, Dalton Kincaid, O’Cyrus Torrence, and Spencer Brown.
The Bills’ front office has taken its fair share of lumps, but Gray has the scouting background and experience to fill out a strong staff, and he has worked directly with ownership in Buffalo, something that would no doubt appeal to the Wilfs.
San Francisco 49ers VP of Player Personnel Tariq Ahmad
I know some Vikings fans might be a little wary about going back to the 49ers’ front office, but league sources have continuously sang his praises for years now. Ahmad is cut from a different cloth as a football lifer. He has cut his chops in both the college and pro scouting side of the business, but it’s his personality that I’ve heard the most about. He’s a logical, organized scout who is almost universally admired across the league. Ahmad has been a key cog in the 49ers’ organization dating back to the Harbaugh days, and his work is underappreciated in keeping San Francisco consistently competitive in the NFL
Houston Texans Asst. GM James Liipfert
Liipfert cut his teeth coming up as a scout during the dynasty days of the New England Patriots, working alongside future GMs like Jason Licht, Bob Quinn, Jon Robinson, Nick Caserio, and Monti Ossenfort. He followed Bill O’Brien to Houston, serving as their Director of College Scouting all the way until his promotion to assistant general manager last season. He has run Houston’s draft meetings and has played a key role in drafting some of their best players in C.J. Stroud, Will Anderson Jr., Nico Collins, Derek Stingley Jr., Kamari Lassiter, Calen Bullock, Tank Dell, and Justin Reid. He was a finalist for Atlanta’s GM role last season, and people across the league think it’s only a matter of time before he lands the top job.
Pittsburgh Steelers Asst. GM Andy Weidl
A former Ozzie Newsome protege in Baltimore, Weidl started off as an area scout for the Ravens in the early 2000s, playing a key role in the selection of players like Haloti Ngata and Tyrod Taylor who fell under his assigned regions. After cutting his teeth there, he was hired by Howie Roseman and the Eagles as their assistant director of player personnel in 2016 before being promoted to full-time DPP in 2019.
Omar Khan hired him to Pittsburgh as their Assistant GM in 2022, and Weidl more or less serves as the de facto head of scouting. Weidl runs their draft and scouting meetings on the college and pro side of things. The Steelers have had a good run of drafting under Weidl, and his scouting background is an obvious appeal for teams.
Los Angeles Rams Asst. GM John McKay
Part of the issue the Vikings had was evidently a disconnect between Kevin O’Connell and Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. If the goal is to achieve better organizational symmetry, why not hire someone who spent years with KOC in Los Angeles? McKay got started as a college scout in 2016 before transitioning to the pro scouting side in May of 2017. The Rams have excelled in the pro scouting department, consistently nailing acquisitions every year with players like Ndamukong Suh, Davante Adams, Odell Beckham Jr., Von Miller, Leonard Floyd, and of course, Jalen Ramsey and Matthew Stafford. McKays’ excellence has seen him promoted numerous times very quickly in Los Angeles, going from a Pro Scout to Assistant General Manager in less than six years.
With every team in the country plucking from the Rams, it feels like a matter of time before McKay becomes the latest departure from LA’s front office.
Detroit Lions Asst. GM Ray Agnew
Agnew has been an extremely valuable piece in the Lions’ turnaround, and was a key cog for the Rams in his time in Los Angeles. He’s on the older side at 58, but his experience in the NFL over the last 30+ years has been stellar. Agnew knows how to instill a proper, winning culture in a building and is in general a very likeable and relatable man. He’s genuine, and that shows in the Lions’ draft process. Agnew has been consistently praised by many people I talk to, and his work as an executive has been one of the most under-the-radar parts of the Lions’ turnaround.
Philadelphia Eagles Asst. GM Alec Halaby
I’m going out on a limb with this one simply because Halaby has more of an analytics background. I’m sure many might be leery of hearing “Harvard graduate”. However, he’s been a key figure for the Eagles for over a decade and has been a big part of them assembling numerous Super Bowl rosters. Halaby has the experience and acumen to build an actual integration of player evaluation and analytics, something Kwesi tried but evidently failed to do. Halaby has been described as Howie Roseman’s protege, something that I’m sure several owners will take note of.
