Vikings Open GM Search, Won’t Announce Candidates As Process Plays Out

The Minnesota Vikings announced they are now open to general manager candidates after the 2026 NFL Draft concluded and will not publicly announce candidates as the process plays out. 

“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,” wrote the Vikings. 

Minnesota elected to fire former GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah back in January, but didn’t push to make a new general manager hire as they progressed through free agency and the draft. They handed duties to executive VP of football operations, Rob Brzezinski, during that time. 

Back in February, Alec Lewis of The Athletic took a look at 12 candidates for the Vikings after speaking to multiple league sources, including Brzezinski, Broncos GM George Paton, Colts assistant GM Ed Dodds, Rams assistant GM John McKay, Patriots VP of player personnel Ryan Cowden, Bears senior director of player personnel Jeff King, Steelers assistant GM Andy Weidl, Broncos assistant GM Reed Burckhardt, Bengals assistant general manager Trey Brown, Seahawks VP of player personnel Trent Kirchner, Seahawks VP of player acquisition Matt Berry, and Lions assistant GM Ray Agnew.

Brzezinski began his NFL executive career as a staff counsel and salary cap manager with the Dolphins from 1993 to 1998. He signed on as the Vikings’ director of football administration in 1999 and has been with the organization ever since. 

Minnesota named him vice president of football administration in 2001 and held the role until 2013. He was promoted to his current role as executive vice president of football operations the following year. 

Adofo-Mensah, 44, was hired as Cleveland’s VP of Football Operations in March of 2020. He was also with the San Francisco 49ers for seven years and served for nearly three years as their director of football research and development.

Minnesota hired him as their GM prior to the 2022 season. The Vikings signed Adofo-Mensah to a contract extension after the 2024 season, but fired him less than a year later.

In Adofo-Mensah’s four years as GM with the Vikings, Minnesota had a record of 43-25 with a postseason record of 0-2.

We’ll have more on the Vikings as the news is available.