MN Vikings Expected to Make Push for Familiar GM
Right now the Minnesota Vikings are being led by an internal group of familiar faces. Kevin O’Connell and Rob Brzezinski are both at the forefront of roster construction going into the 2026 season. With former general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah shown the door , a replacement won’t be installed until after the NFL Draft.
There’s a potential that the Vikings just stick with Brzezinski, but that would also require the 28-year team executive to want the job. There will ultimately be a list of names for them to consider.
While they may technically explore options beyond the organization, there’s one with logical ties that’s simply too hard to overlook.
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George Paton could come back to Minnesota Vikings
Previously employed by the Minnesota Vikings from 2007-2020, George Paton took over as the Denver Broncos general manager in 2021. His contract ends following the 2026 season, but Minnesota could complicate things. Kevin Seifert (ESPN) suggested the possibility again on Friday.
It’s striking how many league sources think that the Wilfs will pursue Denver Broncos general manager George Paton, who is under contract through the 2026 season, to change teams. Paton is a close friend and confidant of Spielman, and worked as his top assistant not only with the Vikings from 2007 to 2020 but also with the Miami Dolphins for five years and the Chicago Bears for three.
That’s a total of 22 seasons at Spielman’s side. As a longtime football executive, Paton wouldn’t just embody the opposite of Adofo-Mensah. He would represent the closest way the Vikings could return to their previous regime, short of rehiring Spielman, who now works as the New York Jets’ senior football advisor.
It would be asinine to rehire Spielman after determining a change of direction was needed . That said, Paton would represent a significant deviation from what Adofo-Mensah brought to the table, and he substantiated his track record with a near-Super Bowl season.
With Paton still under contract for the Broncos, Minnesota doesn’t simply have the luxury of interviewing and hiring him. They would need to compensate Denver, and finding a way to do that while looking to supplement a roster that badly needs it, could be tough.
If Paton was simply available on the open market, it stands to reason that the Wilfs may have interviewed and hired him prior to the draft. In this scenario, and given the timing of Kwesi’s canning, they’ll take a more calculated and delayed approach.
MN Vikings obvious fit for Paton
It’s not just that the MN Vikings may want Paton, but that multiple connected sources see it happening too. Alec Lewis (The Athletic) listed him as the second name on his 12-person list . Mike Sando (The Athletic) brought him up as well.
Former Vikings exec George Paton, now GM of the Broncos, would be a logical successor in Minnesota. His job with the Broncos changed fundamentally after the team hired Sean Payton as coach and gave Payton control of football operations.
Paton’s contract with the Broncos runs through the 2026 season.
In five years with the Denver Broncos, Paton has constructed a team with a 44-41 record . The last two years have been the most successful. Denver went to the Wild Card game during Bo Nix’s rookie year and finished 10-7. This year they went 14-3, and a broken ankle for Nix may have been the only thing to sink them.
Paton has orchestrated the right quarterback move that Kwesi Adofo-Mensah couldn’t ( and passed on ). Now he may be needed to right the ship in Minnesota too.
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