Minnesota Vikings add three more names to their general manager search, and one has ties to Kevin O'Connell

• Detroit Lions assistant general manager Ray Agnew
• Miami Dolphins assistant general manager Kyle Smith
• Denver Broncos assistant general manager Reed Burckhardt

It shouldn’t be much of a surprise that Burckhardt is on the list. The Vikings would have seriously considered Broncos general manager George Paton for the position after being in Minnesota for 14 years, but he signed an extension. His No. 2 is an obvious choice to interview, not to mention spending 13 years with the Vikings himself.

Smith, who was with the Vikings in training camp in 2006 as a wide receiver, was with the Atlanta Falcons as their VP of Player Personnel in 2021-2022, and was promoted to assistant general manager in 2023. He was in that position for three years before the Falcons turned over their front office after this past season.

The really intriguing one is Agnew. He spent the last five years working to completely transform the Lions organization. He is also the only one of the three who can be linked with head coach Kevin O’Connell. They were both with the Rams in 2020 when O’Connell was the offensive coordinator, and it’s something that could turn the tide of the search.

The process is fully underway, and the Vikings are expected to get this completed quickly.