New Name Gains Traction in Vikings’ GM Search
In January, the Minnesota Vikings fired general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah after four years with the franchise. In a vacuum, the decision wasn’t surprising, given the lack of success in the draft and some lost bets in free agency a year ago. The timing of the move was more surprising, however.
Instead of making the decision immediately, the Vikings waited roughly three weeks after the season’s conclusion. Then, the organization decided to have in-house executive Rob Brzezinski lead the operation through free agency and the draft, before heading into the GM search.
Last week, the Vikings announced, “Out of respect for all involved, we do not intend to publicly announce candidates and will provide further comment when the search is complete.”
Everyone thinking that would lead to a surprise hire without anyone knowing the options will be disappointed. On Wednesday, Bills assistant GM Terrance Gray emerged as a real contender.
NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero broke on social media, “The Vikings have requested an interview with Bills assistant general manager Terrance Gray for their GM job, per source. Gray spent 11 seasons with Minnesota as a college scout before joining Buffalo in 2017.”
Gray is the first known external candidate. While everyone seems to believe Brzezinski has a good chance to land the promotion if he wants it, Minnesota’s former scout Gray might be a strong candidate.
SI’s Albert Breer, asked about the Vikings’ GM search, opined on Wednesday, “They can go one of two ways, in my opinion. One path would be to permanently elevate longtime football-operations chief Rob Brzezinski to GM after he spent the past three months serving as interim GM. The other would be to keep Brzezinski in a role like the one Mike Disner serves with the Lions or the one Tony Pastoors has (and Kevin Demoff used to fill) with the Rams, as a sort of head-of-everything-but-personnel role alongside a scouting-focused general manager, which could be someone such as Bills assistant GM Terrance Gray.”
When hiring head coaches, teams often gravitate toward the opposite of the previous skipper. Think about Mike Zimmer and Kevin O’Connell. The Vikings went from the old-school, defensive-minded coach to the fresh offensive coach.
Adofo-Mensah’s predecessor, Rick Spielman, started as a scout. The good-old “football guy” was replaced by the analytical mind. Perhaps Minnesota wants to return to the Spielman era by putting another scout in charge, especially someone with ties to the franchise.
Breer continued, “If they take the latter path, Gray, who cut his scouting teeth with the Vikings before Buffalo GM Brandon Beane poached him in 2017, would be at or near the top of the list. And I do think the Vikings and the search firm they’re working with have a short list they’re plucking from at this point, with perhaps a second list backing that one up.”
From the outside, it’s always tough to classify GM candidates. It’s easier to evaluate coaching prospects because their product can be seen directly on Sundays. A defensive coordinator’s scheme is visible, but who knows what the assistant GM is actually doing in Buffalo?
Therefore, it’s hard to tell if Gray would be a good or a bad choice. The Bills have been contenders for years, driven by quarterback Josh Allen, of course. The roster around the future Hall of Famer has been up-and-down.
There’s also a Rooney Rule angle to remember: “NFL teams are now required to interview at least two external candidates who are persons of color and/or women for vacant head coach, GM and coordinator positions,” NFL Football Operations writes on their website.
As of now, the public list of Vikings GM candidates includes two names: Rob Brzezinski and Terrance Gray.