One Idea for Vikings’ Next GM Might Be Toast

Kirby Lee

When the Minnesota Vikings fired general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah 11 weeks ago, George Paton ascended to the top of the rumor mill as a possible replacement. The problem? According to ESPN, his current employer, the Denver Broncos, evidently wants him back.

One rumored path for the Vikings’ future front office may already be fading.

Paton has coexisted with head coach Sean Payton in Denver for the last few years, and that’s apparently working out just fine.

Rob Brzezinski Could Remain after In-House Bridge Assignment

Paton might stick around in Denver for the long haul.

Denver Broncos general manager George Paton addresses media members during the NFL Scouting Combine, Feb. 24, 2026, at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, discussing roster construction, draft strategy, and offseason priorities as league executives gather to evaluate prospects and shape plans ahead of free agency and the upcoming draft cycle. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images.

ESPN: Paton Probably Not an Option for Vikings

Fade Paton from your Vikings plans. “Some thought that Zygi and Mark Wilf were clearing a path for the return of former assistant general manager George Paton, who has spent the past five seasons as general manager of the Denver Broncos and is entering the final year of his contract,” Kevin Seifert wrote earlier this month.

“Others assumed Brzezinski would eventually be promoted to the permanent role and that the Wilfs’ public neutrality on the question was mostly a function of the NFL mandate to conduct diverse search processes for every open GM job.”

Paton worked for the Vikings from 2007 to 2020.

Seifert continued, “Based on conversations in Phoenix, it’s clear that neither scenario has begun materializing — raising the real possibility that the organization will go through a second change of direction in a matter of months.”

“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.”

Rob Brzezinski on Trial

The Vikings already have a frontrunner for the general manager post, and it’s the guy in the seat right now. If interim general manager Rob Brzezinski was trusted to run free agency last month, along with the draft next week, he’s basically strutting his stuff for Mark and Zygi Wilf right now.

And they know him well. Brzezinski has worked for the Vikings since 1999, a whopping 27 years of service, far outshining any trait an external candidate will reference in an interview. It’s his job to lose.

Minnesota Vikings executive Rob Brzezinski sits down for an interview with Vikings.com’s Gabe Henderson, Feb. 17, 2022, discussing front-office philosophy, contract strategy, and the organization’s leadership structure following the hiring of head coach Kevin O’Connell during a detailed digital feature on team operations. Mandatory Credit: YouTube.

In fact, with Minnesota not firing Kevin O’Connell when it canned Adofo-Mensah, the next season (or two) is really just a referendum on O’Connell as the de facto Team CEO. For example, if the Vikings veer off the rails in 2026, they can rather easily terminate O’Connell, slide Brzezinski back to his previous “money guy” position, and hire an official general manager and next coach.

After-the-Draft Decision-Making

No matter how you dice it, waltzing into a rather important draft without a formal general manager is strange. The Wilfs fired Adofo-Mensah on January 30th, meaning they had about five weeks to hire a replacement before the start of free agency. Theoretically, they could’ve found a new boss sometime in February, and the process would not have felt like warp speed. It happens all the time — firing a GM on Black Monday and having a new one in the saddle by the end of the month.

Therefore, the Wilfs wanted it this way, affording Brzezinski the audition and temporarily returning to the “triangle of authority” approach from the early Rick Spielman days.

They claim a full GM search will be on the menu after the draft. That’s probably true, but it’s Brzezinski’s job to lose.

Other GM Candidates

With Paton possibly out of the way, the Wilfs will need a full slate of candidates if they conduct a legitimate search in May or June. The list could look like this:

• Matt Berry (SEA)
• Ryan Cowden (NE)
• Ed Dodds (IND)
• Alec Halaby (PHI)
• Trent Kirchner (SEA)
• John McKay (LAR)
• Andy Weidl (PIT)

All of those men currently hold jobs in their respective employers’ front offices.

Minnesota Vikings owner Zygi Wilf watches pregame activity from the sideline before kickoff, Oct. 5, 2025, at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, observing the team during an NFL International Series matchup against the Cleveland Browns as part of the league’s continued global expansion effort. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images.

The Athletic‘s Alec Lewis noted on Berry from the Seahawks earlier in the offseason, “Last offseason, the Seahawks promoted Berry from director of college scouting to vice president of player acquisition. He works in tandem with Kirchner in structuring the team’s targets.”

“The pull here would be Berry’s experience with the draft. He scouted for years, then was tasked with coordinating Seattle’s college scouting apparatus. He held pre-draft meetings and had a significant hand in structuring the team’s draft board. Because the Seahawks have nailed so many early-round picks in recent years, Berry’s expertise would be worthwhile.”

What to know in mid-April, though? Brzeninski leads the pack, and the Broncos are in no rush to get rid of Paton, as the rumor mill suggested in early February.