The Minnesota Vikings welcomed a new era last week when they introduced Nolan Teasley as their new general manager. But even though there was a new face (or faces) in charge, many wondered if Teasley would put his actual stamp on the Vikings front office.
According to The Athletic’s Alec Lewis, that came on Thursday as the Vikings have reportedly parted ways with assistant general manager Demitrius Washington, senior personnel executive Jamaal Stephenson, assistant director of college scouting Pat Roberts, and pro scout Salli Clavelle.
With four executives leaving the front office, Teasley is already in the process of bringing in his own people to help bring a championship to Minnesota. But it also differentiates him from his predecessor, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, who made a big mistake hanging onto the staff upon his arrival in 2022.
New Minnesota Vikings GM Nolan Teasley makes first steps to differentiate himself from Kwesi Adofo-Mensah
Minnesota thought they were entering a new era with Adofo-Mensah a few years ago, but really, he was just the new frontman. Outside of Washington and Clavelle, Adofo-Mensah kept most of Rick Spielman’s staff in place, and it led to some of the worst drafts in Vikings history.
The 2022 class is especially infamous, with no players remaining entering this season, and Jordan Addison and Jay Ward are the only remaining holdovers from the 2023 class. The Vikings found a franchise kicker in the 2024 draft by taking Will Reichard in the sixth round, but the jury is still out on first-round picks J.J. McCarthy and Dallas Turner.
With Donovan Jackson the only player to seize a major role in last year’s class and Adofo-Mensah reportedly lacking in communication skills, the Vikings decided to bring in Teasley, who helped the Seahawks draft a foundation that helped Sam Darnold win a Super Bowl. But Teasley was likely only going to succeed if he was able to make big changes.
Thursday’s report could be the beginning of those moves. Washington and Clavelle’s departures were predictable, as Washington arrived with Adofo-Mensah in 2022 and Clavelle was hired in 2023. But the news about Stephenson and Roberts is even more surprising, considering they had been with the Vikings for a prolonged period.
Stephenson joined the Vikings as a college scout in 2002, became the director of college scouting in 2009, and Minnesota’s co-director of player personnel in 2021. Roberts joined as a national scout in 2013 and was promoted to his current position in 2022. Lewis also noted these could be replaced by external hires, and more could be on the way as most staffers’s contracts typically end in June.
It’s too early to know if Teasley will work out as the Vikings try to usher in a new era of collaboration. But getting some different people inside the TCO Performance Center is a start and could help Teasley have more success than his predecessor.
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