Why the New Vikings GM Wants to Work in Minnesota
The new Vikings GM gets to inherit a team with a highly-picked young quarterback teetering on being a bust, a financial outlook that’s pretty ugly, and a yearly curse that involves finding unique, creative ways to actualize heartbreak.
Sound good, right?
In reality, the GM position in Minnesota is reasonably attractive. As good as some of the NFL’s true top franchises? No, but solidly in the upper-half. Minnesota will be journeying through the next few months with Rob Brzezinski leading the front office and Kevin O’Connell leading the coaching staff. Combined, those groups are going to shepherd Minnesota through free agency and the draft. Afterwards, a sale’s pitch will get made to some league executives to jump into the captain’s chair.
The New Vikings GM: A Sale’s Pitch
Start off with the infrastructure around the yet-to-be-hired top executive.
The Wilfs aren’t cheap. Nor, in fact, do they tend to get in the way of football people making football decisions. As a result, the GM can proceed with some confidence that bringing high-end talent to town in free agency and within trades won’t be shutdown. That’s a nice starting point.
So, too, is there going to be some appeal in working for an organization with nice facilities.
On an annual basis, the Vikings earn top grades from the NFLPA’s report cards. TCO Performance Center is excellent, meaning the players get to work in a top-tier surroundings. U.S. Bank Stadium lives up to the hype. And then there’s broader support for the way families get treated, the culture, and so on.
Veterans, in particular, value this sort of thing. The new Vikings GM will understand that future free agency flirtations have the benefit of being able to sell these realities.
Now, consider what’s available already from the perspective of in-house talent.
Most notably, the roster boasts Justin Jefferson. He’s in his prime and on a long-term deal. He plays a premium position and has a deep desire to win. Players want to play with Jefferson. Being able to be the GM of a roster with the NFL’s WR1 (at least according to Jerry Rice) is a nice spot to start.
Even more encouraging is the status of other positions.
The Vikings’ o-line is coming off a disappointing season but is in a nice spot. Boasting an OT tandem of Christian Darrisaw and Brian O’Neill is fantastic. Likewise, the tandem of Donovan Jackson and Will Fries at guard has ample upside.
On defense, the presence of some young talent (Jay Ward, Dallas Turner, Jalen Redmond) alongside impressive veterans (Jonathan Greenard, Andrew Van Ginkel, Byron Murphy, Isaiah Rodgers) puts things in a pretty good spot over there, too.
The cherry on top is that kicker Will Reichard is a first-team All Pro and punter Ryan Wright has become very good. Myles Price is a talented returner and bringing long snapper Andrew DePaola back will mean having the NFL’s best at that position. The special teams won’t be much of a concern.
And then there’s the reality of Coach O’Connell leading a coaching staff that kept Brian Flores, a sensational defensive coordinator. Much appeal there, as well.
On the negative side of things is the skimpy budget for 2026. A ton of work needs to be done to bring the finances back into a decent spot. The amount of young talent is far too low, largely due to terrible drafting since 2022. The silver lining is that Minnesota is moving toward nine new draftees in 2026. Nailing three or four of those selections — recently, a high bar to clear — would make a world of difference within the Vikings’ roster.
Add it all up and there should be a persuasive case to be made for Minnesota being a strong opening. Mark Wilf (on behalf of the ownership more broadly) has indicated that the preference is to have a traditional GM, one who gets the final say on personnel decisions (but with hearty input from Coach O’Connell).
In other words, the list of interested candidates in May onward should be ample. The Vikings’ GM position isn’t the height of NFL prestige, but it is a very good job.
