Minnesota Vikings owners Mark Wilf and Zygi Wilf
Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
The Minnesota Vikings are preparing for the start of the 2026 NFL Draft, which will feature long-time executive Rob Brzezinski as the head decision-maker for the first time in his near 30-year tenure with the organization.
However, it’s extremely possible this is the only War Room Brzezinski will lead, since Rob is only acting as the team’s general manager in the interim, after Kwesi Adofo-Mensah was fired so late in the offseason the Wilfs did not have requisite time to replace him before the start of free agency and the draft.
MN Vikings owners determined to look outside org for next GM
So, shortly after the 2026 NFL Draft concludes on April 25, the Wilf family (with help from a consulting firm) will officially begin their search for a new permanent Minnesota Vikings general manager.
Rob Brzezinski, the Vikings’ interim general manager, will lead their draft before the team is expected to formally open its search. Brzezinski was at the annual meetings but didn’t take a spot in the GM photo.
Jordan Rodrigue – The Athletic
Obviously, Rob Brzezinski will be one of many candidates considered. Judging his draft results from 2026, before his picks ever get on the Eagan practice fields isn’t realistic, but how he operates the War Room and conducts himself throughout the weekend will certainly weigh into the Wilfs’ decision-making process.
It won’t hurt that everyone who’s met and worked with Rob wants him to get the job. With that being said, ownership remains determined to conduct a wide-ranging, full-scale GM search that will NOT give Brzezinski an inside lane to the GM offices at the Vikings’ Lakes complex.
And on Monday morning, NFL insider at The Athletic, Jourdan Rodrigue, revealed more details into why the Wilfs are so adamant to look outside the organization for their new football ops leader… before crowning their top internal candidate.
Potential GMs very interested in Minnesota Vikings GM job
Per Rodrigue, there are “candidates around the league” who are very interested in being the Minnesota Vikings’ next general manager and “have an eye” on the job opening. Why? Because they want to work for the Wilfs and with KOC.
My impression is that Brzezinski, who has worked for the team since 1999, has no small amount of internal support for the full-time job.
Candidates around the league have an eye on the opening because they’d like to work with O’Connell and for an organization that has state-of-the-art facilities and support staff. The search will be thorough and undoubtedly interesting, especially because it’s happening so late in the offseason.
Jordan Rodrigue – The Athletic
Related: Brzezinski Reveals Vikings’ Offseason Plan for Jordan Addison
Unfortunately, Jordan doesn’t name any specific candidates. But without a doubt, names will begin leaking out soon. Something in this report that caught was Rodrigue’s usage of “candidates” instead of “league executives” or even “potential candidates”.
Vikings already tapping candidates?
That means she is talking directly to or hearing second-hand that there are execs across the league who have either already been contacted by the Minnesota Vikings, or they’ve heard through the grapevine that they will be included in the upcoming search.
I like the way the Wilfs are determined to find the best possible general manager, even if it means pissing people off around TCO Performance Center. If there is as much interest in the Vikings GM job as The Athletic claims, then who knows the names we might eventually find out were on the candidate list.
Related: Wilfs Did Not Order Vikings’ Spending Freeze
Thus, the Minnesota Vikings would be stupid not to sit down with some of their top candidates, just to see if the general manager grass might be greener outside Eagan.
Mentioned in this article: General Manager Mark Wilf Rob Brzezinski Zygi Wilf
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