Thoughts on the Vikings 5 GM finalists
Interim GM Rob Brzezinski is included, along with a rising star AGM and two former Viking scouts
By Matthew Coller
And then there were five.
On Wednesday, Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports reported that the Minnesota Vikings have their five finalists for their open general manager position and they will be doing in-person interviews for the group.
Let’s dive into each candidate’s case for becoming the next GM…
- Vikings interim GM Rob Brzezinski
Heading into the offseason, it was totally unclear how Brzezinski would operate as the interim general manager. Would the Vikings’ salary cap expert hunt down every single cap dollar that he could find and sign free agents like it was going out of style? Would his actions reflect the team’s desperation to get back to the postseason and win in the playoffs, where they haven’t had success since 2019? Would we come away from the offseason thinking that Kevin O’Connell and Brian Flores got everything they wanted, regardless of the consequences?
Turns out none of that happened. Instead Brzezinski managed the offseason like he was protecting the franchise from long-term harm while still keeping alive the idea of winning with this group of core players.
The Vikings re-worked contracts for Aaron Jones and TJ Hockenson to keep them on board, moved on from expensive defensive tackles Javon Hargrave and Jonathan Allen, traded veteran pass rusher Jonathan Greenard for two third-round picks and $34 million of cap space over two years.
They made quiet moves outside of signing Kyler Murray to a $1.3 million deal. They added a little depth in the secondary that was lacking with DB James Pierre. They waited out the crazy free agent market to sign WR Jauan Jennings and used restricted free agency to bring in a quality backup tackle in Ryan Van Demark.
In terms of running the draft, Brzezinski appeared to lean heavily on the coaching staff. It isn’t difficult to see the path for any of their selections and where they fit in right away and long term. We never know how any draft is going to turn out, particularly with a “risky” player like Caleb Banks at the top but they aimed to improve their interior D-line, found depth and a long-term option at linebacker, grabbed two players to help the run game and got a quality cornerback prospect.
While many of the draft analysts didn’t grade them highly (note: draft grades have not proven to correlate with draft success), there was clear logic in every pick.
When the Vikings sit down with each candidate, they should be asking: Where is the edge? What is the advantage to hiring this person?
With Brzezinski, the advantages are his emphasis on understanding capital, whether that’s in the form of draft picks or cap space. His experience in the front office also has the respect of others that are likely to remain in the building and he already has a strong preexisting relationship with Kevin O’Connell and Brian Flores.
Brzezinski also has the trust of ownership to be their liaison in Minnesota and understands the dynamics of working with them.
- Broncos AGM Reed Burckhardt
A year ago at this time, the Denver Broncos promoted Burckhardt to assistant general manager under GM George Paton.
When we talk about familiarity with how things are done in Minnesota, Burckhardt certainly checks that box. He spent 13 seasons with the Vikings, starting off as an intern and then working his way up through the scouting side. When Paton was hired by the Broncos, he took Burckhardt with him.
The upside to bringing Burckhardt back to Minnesota is his background in player evaluation. He was a college quarterback who made his bones on the road scouting players and separated himself within the Vikings and Broncos front offices for having a good track record with his evaluations and strong voice in the room.
Combining the things that the Vikings did to build their strongest rosters under Rick Spielman between 2012-2017 along with the Broncos’ approach of putting together an offense that fit with an inexperience QB and a monster defense.
The downside would be inexperience. While he certainly knows the business and the franchise inside and out, Burckhardt has only been an AGM for a year.
Overall, the edge to hiring Burckhardt is bringing on a younger leader who can push the franchise forward and grow into the role. If the emphasis is going to be heavily on the draft, the Vikings will need someone who can hit more than they miss and have the approach of stockpiling capital.
- Bills AGM Terrance Gray
The Vikings’ owners clearly were interested in candidates that know the interworking of the franchise, which hints that they are happy with a lot of the executives inside TCO Performance Center but want someone who can work with them effectively.
Gray was with the Vikings for 11 years until 2017 when he moved to Buffalo, where he served as director of player personnel and then was promoted in 2025 to AGM.
Gray has been on the radar as a potential GM over the last two years, getting interviews with the Jaguars, Chargers and Raiders between 2024 and 2025.
You could certainly argue that Buffalo has been blessed with finding a top-three quarterback in the NFL and that’s largely driven their success but that wouldn’t be fair to Brandon Beane or the front office. They have navigated Allen’s contract and put together strong rosters around him, particularly on the defensive side, where the Bills have been in the top half of the league every year since extending their elite QB.
Is there an edge? Well, Gray brings credibility to the front office as someone who has worked his way through multiple successful franchises, beginning right out of college with Kansas City. His earliest work in the NFL included player development. With the Vikings rarely picking at the top of the draft, they will need to focus on finding talent that they can hone over a number of years.
- Rams AGM John McKay
The familiarity aspect in this case is with O’Connell rather than the Wilfs. McKay started in 2016 as a scouting assistant. Before being named AGM in 2025, he was the director of pro personnel and also served as assistant director of pro scouting.
The Rams’ website describes his role as:
“He also evaluates all 32 rosters prior to free agency, writes advance scouting reports for upcoming opponents and evaluates college players prior to the draft.”
Having only been in the business for 10 years, it seems like a pretty large leap to general manager. However, McKay has football in his blood. His dad is Rich McKay, who was the Atlanta Falcons GM in the early 2000s and then president and CEO until 2025. His grandfather coached USC in the 60s and 70s and the Tampa Bay Bucs in the late-70s and early 80s.
While the Vikings’ focus has seemingly been on the draft side (and McKay has some experience there), the edge to hiring him would be the relationship with O’Connell and bringing over more of The Rams Way to Minnesota.
The Rams have a very good argument for being the most innovative franchise in the NFL along with the Philadelphia Eagles. They not only won the Super Bowl in 2021 but they tore down and rebuilt the roster to reach the NFC Championship last year. When you talk about “forward thinking,” the Rams are one of the first teams that comes to mind, whether it be from coaching methods, drafting, free agency decisions or trades.
In making this hire, it has to be part of the thought process that the Vikings have perpetually been a stuck-in-the-middle franchise with some pop-up seasons. How can they get to a place where they are in the mix every year? Can McKay borrow processes from L.A. that have worked and bring them here?
- Seahawks AGM Nolan Teasley
You could argue that a franchise might be able to have a hot run of drafting and then land the right quarterback and end up with a Super Bowl ring. But the Seattle Seahawks GM John Schneider has built two Super Bowl winning teams. One with Russell Wilson and the Legion Of Doom and in 2025 with the NFL’s best defense and an offense led by a physical O-line and top-notch No. 1 wide receiver around Sam Darnold.
Teasley started with the Seahawks in 2013 and worked his way to pro personnel scout and then director of pro personnel in 2018. He has been the AGM for two years.
Seattle describes his role on their website as:
“Teasley oversees football operations while working collaboratively with President of Football Operations/General Manager John Schneider in all aspects of player acquisition via the draft, free agency and trade proposals.”
The advantage to hiring Teasley is that he has no connection whatsoever to the Vikings. He would bring a fresh pair of eyes to a team that has been good for a long time but needs something more to push them over the top. He played a key role in a rebuilding process in Seattle post-Wilson that saw the Seahawks crush the draft and nail free agent and trade acquisitions to build the strongest roster in the NFL.
But they didn’t do it quickly or in a panic. It was over several seasons of methodically adding and adding to the point where they were ready to win and found the right mix of coaching and QB play.
Schneider should be considered one of the best at roster construction and evaluation in the NFL over the last two decades. It would make sense to bring on board someone that he’s been working closely with.