3 Reasons the Vikings Should Promote Rob Brzezinski (and 3 Why They Shouldn’t)

The Minnesota Vikings are set to kick off their search to find a new general manager, but the call may be coming from inside the house. Interim GM and longtime Vikings executive Rob Brzezinski has been handling the duties over the last few months, and seems like a logical fit for the job in some ways, and not so much in others.

The Wilfs maintain that the search will be wide open, and wouldn’t go as far as to say that Brzezinski would be given any sort of favoritism. So is he really the best choice, or would Minnesota be wise to go with an outside hire?

Let’s begin with why a Brzezinski hire makes sense…

Overwhelming Support From the Staff

Rob Brzezinski has been with the Vikings for more than 25 years, and it’s hard to stick around that long by making enemies. It’s widely known that he has the support of many voices in the building, and it may be prudent to appease them. While hiring “Rob Zombie” based on a popularity contest shouldn’t be the reason for removing his interim tag, the reasons he is so well-liked certainly are.

Brzezinski already knows the coaching staff's likes, dislikes, and tendencies. So while there was some alleged friction between former general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and the coaches regarding the direction of the team, that feels like a complete non-issue with Brzezinski. The push and pull during the last regime seemed obvious at times, with some questionable signings and picks, but there would undoubtedly be much more cohesiveness with Brzezinski at the helm.

He’s Already Successfully Doing the Job

It’s hard to interview better than Brzezinski already has for the job. He’s gotten Minnesota’s putrid cap situation under control, brought in former No. 1-overall pick Kyler Murray for peanuts, and just finished what could end up being a strong 2026 draft.

Really, it’s tough to look at the last few months and think that he stumbled somewhere along the way. The Jonathan Greenard trade wasn’t popular, but it was probably necessary, showing Brzezinski can make tough decisions. If he’d gone out and thrown tons of money at aging vets and traded No. 18 to a division rival, this conversation would already be over, but it’s clear the Triangle of Authority can work.

A Good Relationship With Agents

This is somewhat of an assumption, but Brzezinski is a contract savant, so it’s safe to assume he’s developed some fairly good relationships with player agents over the years. As we’ve seen with the Dallas Cowboys lately, getting on an agent's bad side is a quick path to losing good players. It’s an overlooked, maybe underappreciated, aspect: If the difference in re-signing a player comes down to the rapport between the agent and the team, they may lean toward Minnesota.

However, Rob Brzezinski isn’t a total shoo-in for the job. So, why might the Vikings go with an outside hire?

He Doesn’t Come From A Football Background

After the failed experiment to hire a Wall Street analytics guy, it seemed clear the Vikings would return to a traditional approach to their GM hire. Well, Rob Brzezinski is not that. He wasn’t a scout, didn’t play in the league, and has a background mostly on the business side of the football operations. That’s not to say he can’t do the job, but it would also mean he would need to rely more heavily on other voices in the building regarding roster construction.

Essentially, Brzezinski might be best suited to his previous role as a salary cap wizard. However, he’s a smart guy, though, and he has surely picked up some player evaluation skills after 25 years. Ultimately, the decision may be heavily influenced by how spooked the Wilfs got by going the non-traditional route last time.

He’s Been Here and the Team Hasn’t Won

With just one playoff win since 2018, the team hasn’t exactly seen great success over the last decade. How much of that lack of success can be pinned on Brzezinski? It’s impossible to say, but Minnesota could be looking for a completely new perspective.

While he likely wasn’t directly involved in final personnel decisions, he likely views the football world in a similar way to those decision-makers who are still here, like assistant general manager Ryan Grigson. If the Vikings have a chance to land an executive from a highly successful team like the Los Angeles Rams or Seattle Seahawks, they might jump at it.

The Vikings May Need to Hire a De-Facto GM Anyway

There’s no question that the Vikings love Brzezinski on the business side, but they may look to hire an evaluation expert to pair with him if he becomes GM. That gets a bit sticky. With Kevin O’Connell and Brian Flores already in his ear, another voice may just be too many cooks in the kitchen.

It’s not a certainty that the Vikings would do that, but it couldn’t be ruled out. It’s a bit of a lose-lose situation in that case. If the plan falls apart, we’re back to square one next year. If this top-tier evaluator sees success, they’ll be scooped up by another team looking to promote them. Hopefully, Minnesota lets Brzezinski do his job in this hypothetical and doesn’t complicate matters further.