Vikings owners Zygi and Mark Wilf release statement opening up GM search, including our first official candidate

With the conclusion of the NFL Draft, the Minnesota Vikings are officially opening up their search for the next general manager.

Tyler Forness NFL & College Football News Writer
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Oct 5, 2025; Tottenham, United Kingdom; Minnesota Vikings owners Mark Wilf (left) and Zygi Wilf during an NFL International Series game against the Cleveland Browns at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Oct 5, 2025; Tottenham, United Kingdom; Minnesota Vikings owners Mark Wilf (left) and Zygi Wilf during an NFL International Series game against the Cleveland Browns at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Now that the NFL Draft is over, the Minnesota Vikings have shifted their focus toward finding their next general manager. Owners Zygi and Mark Wilf released a statement announcing the beginning of their general manager search.

With the conclusion of the 2026 NFL Draft, our search for the next general manager of the Minnesota Vikings is underway. This will be a thorough and deliberate process led by ownership, with support from a small internal advisory committee of senior leaders. We have also engaged respected firm TurnkeyZRG to assist in conducting a wide-ranging search that includes experienced football executives, emerging candidates and individuals with diverse professional backgrounds. Our focus is to identify a decisive leader with a clear vision for team building, strong communication skills and the ability to build alignment across an organization. Out of respect for all involved, we do not intend to publicly announce candidates and will provide further comment when the search is complete.

Minnesota Vikings owners Zygi and Mark Wilf

It’s going to be a major storyline over the next few weeks. The most intriguing of their candidates is going to be interim general manager Rob Brzezinski, who just landed the Vikings a fascinating NFL Draft class. He has expressed interest in the position.

What will be interesting is how the Vikings will go about this. The discussions around Rick Spielman before he was fired was to elevate his role to something like the president of football operations, where he would oversee the lead decision maker at general manager. That could be what is in line for Brzezinski, who would get a promotion in this instance.

Who are some candidates the Vikings could target? I broke down multiple options with our resident coach and general manager expert, AJ Schulte.

  • Buffalo Bills Asst. GM Terrance Gray
  • San Francisco 49ers VP of Player Personnel Tariq Ahmad
  • Houston Texans Asst. GM James Liipfert
  • Pittsburgh Steelers Asst. GM Andy Weidl
  • Los Angeles Rams Asst. GM John McKay
  • Detroit Lions Asst. GM Ray Agnew
  • Philadelphia Eagles Asst. GM Alec Halaby
  • Los Angeles Chargers Asst. GM Chad Alexander