Back in January, when the Minnesota Vikings fired Kwesi Adofo-Mensah as their general manager after four years, one of the first people to be brought up as a possible replacement was current Denver Broncos general manager George Paton.
Prior to getting hired by the Broncos in 2021, Paton spent the previous 14 years as a member of Minnesota's front office, including nine as the team's assistant general manager.
Given his familiarity with the Vikings and how they like to run things, most felt like he would be a great fit to replace Adofo-Mensah.
There's just one problem.
The Broncos aren't about to just let him walk out the door.
This was confirmed recently when ESPN's Kevin Seifert shared that there has been nothing this offseason to indicate that Denver is looking to move on from Paton.
"There are no indications that Paton is on his way out in Denver or wants to leave. ESPN senior national NFL reporter Jeremy Fowler reported that Paton appears set to return, and Broncos coach Sean Payton has expressed hope that Paton will sign a contract extension."
No sign George Paton will leave Denver Broncos to re-join Minnesota Vikings
Other than Paton, current Minnesota executive vice president of football operations Rob Brzezinski is really the only other person who has been mentioned as a believable replacement for Adofo-Mensah.
Right now, Brzezinski is essentially the acting general manager for the Vikings until the conclusion of the 2026 NFL Draft later this month. After that, it's anyone's guess about what Minnesota has planned for finding a more permanent solution as the team's general manager.
In addition to the information on Paton, Seifert also shared an update about what path it seems like the Vikings will follow to figure out who will be Adofo-Mensah's replacement.
"[Vikings owner Mark Wilf] laid out a process that would cast a wide net, including hiring a third party to help cull the list of candidates.
A small group of existing staffers will assist in the process. That is expected to include [Kevin] O'Connell, who has a strong relationship with Brzezinski, as well as chief operating officer Andrew Miller, who led the committee that hired Adofo-Mensah.
Wilf said the process would be 'ownership-driven,' but the degree to which O'Connell or Miller play a leading role could well tip the scales in the Wilfs' final decision."
Brzezinski has been with Minnesota since 1999, and the majority of his tenure has been spent as the team's contract and salary cap expert. Is he interested in taking on a position like general manager that could lead to his departure from the Vikings sooner than expected?
That's something Brzezinski has to figure out if Minnesota offers him the opportunity.
At the same time, since he's been with the Vikings so long, it could be something where he's able to work out a deal that will allow him to still remain with the organization in some capacity if an attempt at being Minnesota's general manager doesn't go well.
For now, Brzezinski and the rest of the Vikings' front office has an NFL Draft at the end of the month to focus on. After that, everyone will have plenty of time to figure out who will eventually emerge as Minnesota's next general manager.