The Vikings finally have their replacement for former general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah.
Minnesota is hiring Seahawks assistant general manager Nolan Teasley as its new GM, NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero reported on Saturday.
According to Pelissero, Teasley, who worked for Seattle for the past 13 seasons, wrote letters to all 32 NFL teams in 2013 in hopes of getting into football. He had spent the previous six years in marketing. The Seahawks granted him an interview and hired him as an intern in the scouting department.
Teasley went on to serve as a pro personnel scout from 2014-16, assistant director of pro personnel in 2017, director of pro personnel from 2018-2022 and for the past four years was an assistant GM under John Schneider.
Teasley's hiring as general manager comes considerably later in the NFL calendar than usual.
The Vikings fired Adofo-Mensah, their GM from 2022-25, on Jan. 30. They then tabbed executive vice president of football operations Rob Brzezinski to lead the team's operations through the 2026 draft, after which Minnesota would begin its search for a new full-time GM.
Brzezinksi delivered a nine-member draft class, which had a strong defensive tilt and was highlighted by defensive tackle Caleb Banks (Round 1, No. 18 overall), linebacker Jake Golday (Round 2, No. 51) and defensive tackle Domonique Orange (Round 3, No. 82). He also cut some costs, trading pass rusher Jonathan Greenard to the Eagles, reducing running back Aaron Jones' base salary through a revised contract and releasing defensive linemen Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave. Most notably, he addressed Minnesota's quarterback conundrum by signing Kyler Murray to the veteran minimum to introduce competition.
Brzezinski was one of five candidates to receive second interviews, along with Broncos assistant GM Reed Burckhardt, Bills assistant GM Terrance Gray, Rams assistant GM John McKay and the now-hired Teasley.
Teasley should usher Minnesota's front office in a new direction, as his scouting background stands in stark contrast to Adofo-Mensah's analytics-minded approach.
He also accepts the job on a high, having just helped the Seahawks to a victory in Super Bowl XLIX.
Though the Vikings endured their share of disarray last season, struggling to find consistency under center, missing the playoffs in the shadow of a 2024 14-win campaign and then parting with their GM, they still don't appear far off from contention after closing the season on a five-game winning streak to finish 9-8.
Despite an uncertain QB situation with both Murray and J.J. McCarthy vying for the starting job, Teasley has one of the league's best wide receivers in Justin Jefferson and a top-10 scoring defense two seasons running to build around.
The Vikings trust he's the man to get the arrow trending back upward and keep it that way.
