The Minnesota Vikings waited until former general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah represented them at the Senior Bowl before firing him. At that point, they decided to just promote long-time executive Rob Brzezinski to interim general manager, with a search for a permanent GM to come after the draft.
In announcing the launch of the search for a new general manager, Vikings' owners Mark and Zygi Wilf said they did not intend to publicly announce candidates.
That's a fine idea, but we knew names would come out as interview requests were made. Those who know were going to pass along that information to the requisite reporters/insiders.
On Wednesday, Buffalo Bills assistant general manager and former Vikings scout Terrance Gray became the first known external candidate this side of Brzezinski.
Minnesota Vikings general manager search is reaching a fever pitch
Thursday then brought an avalanche of reported interview requests. Between the two of them, NFL Media's Tom Pelissero and ESPN's Adam Schefter have reported the following list of interview requests Minnesota has made for their general manager opening, including Gray.
- Los Angeles Chargers assistant GM Chad Alexander
- San Francisco 49ers assistant GM RJ Gillen
- Buffalo Bills assistant GM Terrance Gray
- Los Angeles Rams assistant GM John McKay
- Seattle Seahawks assistant GM Nolan Teasley
- Tennessee Titans assistant GM Dave Ziegler
As ESPN's Kevin Seifert noted, the Vikings are now compliant with the Rooney Rule in their general manager search. While their current organizations cannot block them from interviews, since it's for a promotion, any of these candidates can decline an interview request.
The most notable thing about that list of six outside candidates, as had been professed as a focus of the search after Adofo-Mensah came from a uniquely non-football background, is that all six have a background in scouting.
If we were to tab a top candidate out of those six currently known candidates outside of Brzezinski, it would be McKay pretty easily, since his decade with the Rams provides a tie to Kevin O'Connell.
Assuming he carries some sway in the search, the Minnesota head coach will want a general manager he can align with easily heading into a season where he won't be able to avoid blame if things don't go well. McKay would seemingly be that more than anyone else who has been named as a candidate.
The Vikings' decision to wait until after the draft to hire a full-time general manager was odd, even if it was understandable given the late decision to fire Adofo-Mensah. Now, despite ownership's initial indication that candidates would not be named publicly, the search is ramping up rather notably.
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