As the Minnesota Vikings prepare for the NFL Draft at the end of the month with interim GM Rob Brzezinski taking a leading role, there is speculation whether Brzezinski himself will be named the new Vikings general manager after the draft is over.
Vikings Won’t Conduct a Search Until After the Draft
One of the tidbits of information that came out of the NFL Owners Meeting last week was that the Vikings have not begun their search for a new general manager and don’t intend to do so until after the draft. That was a slight update from Mark Wilf’s initial
statement on Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s firing, when he said the Vikings would conduct an extensive search but not name a new general manager until after the draft.
This is the busiest time of year for front office personnel involved with scouting and managing both free agency and the draft, including potential candidates for the Vikings’ general manager position. From that standpoint, it makes some sense that the Vikings wouldn’t begin their GM search until after the busy time is over after the draft. On the other hand, coaching searches and interviews happen during crunch time with coaches in the playoffs when coaching candidates have even less time to prepare and conduct interviews.
Brzezinski the Leading Candidate?
The fact that the Vikings haven’t started their search for a new general manager may be one of several signs that they may be leaning toward giving Rob Brzezinski the job after the draft. In particular, the Wilfs may view this as essentially an extended interview and trial run for Brzezinski with draft weekend as the final test. Brzezinski would need to pass that test and want the job- which is also a question- but by putting off their formal GM search the Wilfs are giving Brzezinski every opportunity to land the job if he wants it.
There has also been some reporting by The Athletic recently that there is significant internal support for Brzezinski to be named the new general manager and that the search for a new GM following the draft isn’t expected to be a long one. Those are a couple other tidbits that point toward Brzezinski being the favorite to land the job.
Brzezinski’s Fit in the Vikings’ Leadership Structure
Rob Brzezinski has been with the Vikings for 27 years, including the entirety of the Wilfs’ ownership tenure. He has been the EVP of Football Operations and salary cap guru for over a decade. But he came up on the business side of football operations- business administration, legal affairs, salary cap management and contract negotiations- with degrees in law and education. He doesn’t have a background in scouting or talent evaluation.
But the Wilfs know and trust Brzezinski and see him as the consensus builder they prefer in a general manager. He may also be a good fit with Kevin O’Connell and Brian Flores.
Following the firing of Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, there was some speculation about Kevin O’Connell’s job security. But in choosing to move ahead without naming a new general manager and leaning into O’Connell, Brian Flores and their staffs to make player evaluations in free agency and the draft, the Wilfs appear to be placing more faith in the coaching staff under O’Connell and Flores to guide them through what Mark Wilf called a critical off-season. Brzezinski’s role is that of consensus builder in addition to his on-going responsibilities of managing the salary cap and negotiating contracts.
It’s not lost on the Wilfs that Kyler Murray, the top QB in free agency, preferring to come to Minnesota to work under O’Connell as a free agent for the veteran minimum, and that was practically a foregone conclusion as free agency approached, is no small thing. O’Connell continues to have a strong reputation around the league as a former Coach of the Year and now Competition Committee member. Internally, the coaching and training staff O’Connell has put together continue to get top marks on the annual NFLPA report cards, which also helps the Vikings land key players.
The growing influence of Brian Flores has been noticeable as well. It was Flores who questioned the direction of the front office and Adofo-Mensah’s inexperience with football operations in mid-January that may have been a catalyst for his removal. And the Wilfs are thought to have ponied up over $6 million annually to make Flores the highest paid coordinator in the league when he was extended shortly after Adofo-Mensah was fired.
So, with O’Connell and Flores tasked with taking the lead in evaluating talent, Brzezinski’s experience making those decisions happen from a business standpoint could fit very well within the Vikings’ leadership structure. Brzezinski himself is not known to be highly opinionated when it comes to personnel decisions nor has he clashed with all the various coaches and general managers the Vikings have employed over his 27-year tenure. He is respected for his experience and ability to do his job well, and that includes both O’Connell and Flores.
Why Bringing in Another GM Could Invite Trouble
There are certainly some seemingly qualified candidates out there who the Vikings could interview for the GM job. Those include Ray Agnew, the Lions Assistant GM and Ed Dodds, the Colts Assistant GM, among others. But bringing in a new general manager, and boss to both O’Connell and Flores, could invite trouble if he clashed with them on personnel decisions or in other ways. It might also be awkward for a new GM to come in after Brzezinski, O’Connell, and Flores have already made the key roster decisions for this offseason cycle. Presumably a new GM would want to make his mark on building the roster and that could lead to some tension and potential power struggles that could prove damaging.
Does Brzezinski Really Want the Job?
Perhaps the biggest question in all of this, however, is whether Brzezinski really wants the job. He has been happy to have operated largely in the background for his entire career with the Vikings, and I don’t believe he has ever put himself forward as a candidate for previous general manager openings, despite his long tenure with the team. He doesn’t like to do media interviews and isn’t a polished public speaker.
But he did agree to be the interim general manager, presumably at the behest of the Wilfs as part of the decision to move on from Adofo-Mensah, during the most critical roster-building period of the year. Clearly Brzezinski knew what that entailed and perhaps his agreeing to take on the interim job represents a trial run for him to see how he likes the job, and for the Wilfs to evaluate his performance.
The final test will doubtlessly come on draft weekend at the end of the month, but the leadup as well will be important in arriving at a consensus internally on building the draft board. But how Brzezinski is able to take charge as the draft unfolds will leave a big impression on the Wilfs as well. In previous drafts Brzezinski was charged with exploring draft trades and he has many contacts and relationships around the league after over 30 years in the league. But that will fall to subordinates this time around with Brzezinski making the final calls. How well Brzezinski can plan for and navigate the storm of trade proposals and decision-making over three days of the draft will go a long way in determining whether he wants and gets the job. But how well he brings together everyone internally will also be an important part of his evaluation.
We’ll see how things unfold, but I suspect if Brzezinski gains a level of comfort in his new role and that shows up in the results, it won’t be long before he is named the Vikings’ new general manager.
Stay tuned.
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