The Vikings’ GM Opening and a Theory on Rob Brzezinski
Best guess is that Rob Brzezinski is carrying the torch for a short stretch of the race. After a few months, Brzezinski will gladly hand off the flame to a permanent, long-term option.
The Vikings’ GM job is going to be appealing. Not so appealing that all onlookers will be willing to leave their current gig behind for a chance to jump in, but good enough to attract ample interest. Inheriting a team with strong talent, generous ownership, and a chance to compete soon is going to lead to a hearty competition. However, I believe that Brzezinski will step aside within the competition.
The Vikings’ GM Opening: A Theory
The fill-in at GM has been doing his best to tidy up the resources.
Recent pressers have made a point to highlight how the cap needed to be replenished. Mark Wilf circled around to that idea at the Annual League Meeting. So did Rob Brzezinski. Clearly, there was an effort to restore some health to the cap, doing so in a way that preserves future flexibility rather than continuing to stretch the limits of the money.
Likewise, there has been an effort to play the comp picks game. Minnesota is set to earn a 6th, per Over the Cap. That’s a reality that points toward having overcome the odds since there were so few departing players. Brzezinski did a nice job, demonstrating much restraint.
He’s qualified to be an NFL general manager. Does he want to become an NFL general manager?
Brzezinski has been in the Vikings’ front office for a long time. Not getting stolen away tells us something. Brzezinski, quite evidently, doesn’t mind the job(s) he has been doing since he has been quite willing to function behind the scenes as a Vikings executive.
Consider, as well, that Brzezinski has made jokes about avoiding the spotlight. In the past, he has been able to avoid the media, allowing him to avoid the scrutiny that a GM receives as the forward-facing voice of the brain trust tasked with making picks, orchestrating trades, building contracts, and so on.
Rob Brzezinski has also spoken glowingly of wanting to play a small part in delivering a Super Bowl to the Minnesota Vikings. Does being a GM qualify? A great GM doesn’t guarantee a Lombardi, but it’s a very important role. Nobody would insist that a GM is a small part of the mix.
A great cap wizard, unlike a GM, can be perceived as a spoke in the wheel.
The NFL is a place where pay and position tend to win. The folks who make a living in pro football tend to be highly competent, hard-working, ambitious people who want to climb the ladder and be paid handsomely while doing so. Every so often, though, there are those who defy the norm.
In Minnesota, an example exists in OC Wes Phillips. He appears to be quite happy being a top assistant, a key voice rather than the voice. Look around the Vikings and/or the league more broadly and there would be other examples of QBs who are happy to be backups, o-linemen happy to be key depth, and various other examples.
Maybe Rob Brzezinski is an example of an executive who is very content and satisfied in the job he has carved out for himself.
The Vikings’ GM job is likely to pivot off Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, opting for someone with a more traditional football background. Instead of academia and then investing — as was the case with Mr. Adofo-Mensah — the new hire could be someone who knows contracts, game film, and other standard football things.
Rob Brzezinski appears to be very qualified for the job. It remains to be seen if he’ll allow his name to stand. Quite possibly, the move is to return to his normal duties while then helping the incoming hire to acclimate.
