After the departures of Mike Zimmer and Rick Spielman, who will the Minnesota Vikings select to be the team’s new head coach and general manager?
Many were expecting the Minnesota Vikings to part with head coach Mike Zimmer after the end of the 2021 season, so it wasn’t a surprise when the team made this decision on Monday. However, the Vikings also decided to show general manager Rick Spielman the door, and this was a move that surprised a lot of people, including Spielman.
So now, Minnesota has to hire a new head coach for the first time since 2014, and they will need to find a new general manager for the first time since 2012.
The Vikings are expected to interview a variety of candidates, and hopefully, the team is able to fill both roles with candidates that can help transform the franchise into a consistent contender.
Minnesota Vikings head coach and GM search news
GM News:
On Wednesday, multiple reports revealed that Minnesota has begun to submit interview requests to meet with candidates about their general manager opening. Below are the candidates the Vikings have reportedly made requests to interview so far.
- Brandon Brown – Philadelphia Eagles Director of Player Personnel (According to KSTP’s Darren Wolfson)
- John Spytek – Tampa Bay Buccaneers VP of Player Personnel (According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter)
- Kwesi Adofo-Mensah – Cleveland Browns VP of Football Operations (According to NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero)
- Glenn Cook – Cleveland Browns VP of Player Personnel (According to Pelissero)
- Ryan Poles – Kansas City Chiefs Director of Player Personnel (According to Schefter)
- Eliot Wolf – New England Patriots Scouting Consultant (According to Pelissero)
- Catherine Raiche – Philadelphia Eagles VP of Football Operations (According to Schefter)
- Monti Ossenfort – Tennessee Titans Director of Player Personnel (According to ESPN’s Courtney Cronin)
Head Coach News:
On Saturday, the Vikings put in requests to interview several head-coaching candidates. Below is the list of coaches they are expected to meet with in the near future.
- Kellen Moore – Dallas Cowboys offensive coordinator (According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter)
- Nathaniel Hackett – Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator (According to NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero)
- Todd Bowles – Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive coordinator (According to Schefter)
- DeMeco Ryans – San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator (According to Pelissero)
- Jonathan Gannon – Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator (According to Pelissero)
- Dan Quinn – Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator (According to Pelissero)
- Kevin O’Connell – Los Angeles Rams offensive coordinator (According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler)
Minnesota Vikings head coach and GM rumors
GM Rumors:
Some of the rumors about possible candidates have already turned into news about those candidates getting an interview request from the Vikings. But the Star Tribune’s Ben Goessling shared three other names on Wednesday that Minnesota could be interested in for their GM vacancy.
Some names to watch in the #Vikings GM process:
— Ben Goessling (@BenGoessling) January 12, 2022
--Trent Kirchner (Seahawks)
--Kwesi Adofo-Mensah (Browns)
--Brandon Brown (Eagles)
--Will McClay (Cowboys)
--Ed Dodds (Colts)
Also heard this: the head coach job is in high demand. Lots of interest because of the talented roster.
Head Coach Rumors:
Although the Vikings will be selecting a new GM before hiring a new head coach this year, we should still expect the team to interview some head coaching candidates in the very near future. But for now, rumors about the vacancy are what we have.
An internal name to keep in mind for the #Vikings coach job: Andre Patterson. The co-DC is close with Mike Zimmer, yes, but he is deeply respected in the organization and the locker room. In all his years, he’s never had a NFL head coach interview; the Vikings could change that.
— Ben Goessling (@BenGoessling) January 12, 2022
Eric Bienemy, Nathaniel Hackett, and Doug Pederson are mentioned as candidates to watch in the Vikings section of this ESPN+ article. But the writers also admit that it's very early in Minnesota's process so it's hard to get a handle on right now. https://t.co/nrL72PNEnB
— Will Ragatz (@WillRagatz) January 12, 2022
Not attempting to break any news, but there has been consistent chatter from many corners of football circles about...
— Brad Spielberger, Esq. (@PFF_Brad) January 10, 2022
Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin https://t.co/xtBlPPcKBH
I can confirm, Matt Campbell was at the Bears/Vikings game. Saw him on sidelines…I figured he was there to watch David Montgomery. Sounds like he’s on the short list for the HC job in MN.
— Elias Johnson (@ejohnsonNEWS) January 10, 2022