Who will be the next Minnesota Vikings GM? A look at some of the names

Justin Jefferson #18 of the Minnesota Vikings reacts after making a catch during the first half of the game against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium on November 14, 2021 in Inglewood, California.  ((Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images))

The Minnesota Vikings ownership group is taking the franchise in a new direction after firing head coach Mike Zimmer and general manager Rick Spielman on Monday.

Spielman spent 15 seasons with the Vikings. Owner and President Mark Wilf said Monday they’ll hire a new GM first, then a head coach, and cast a wide net to find the right fit for the Vikings. According to multiple reports from ESPN and NFL Network, the Vikings have at least eight names they’ve requested to interview for the GM position. 

Here is a quick look at them.

Catherine Raiche (Philadelphia Eagles)

Catherine Raiche is in her third season with the Philadelphia Eagles and was promoted in 2021 to be the vice president for football operations. She joined the team as a football operations/player personnel coordinator in 2019. Prior to that, she spent five seasons in the Canadian Football League and was the director of football administration for the Toronto Argonauts in 2018-19. At 33, she could become the youngest active GM and just the second female GM in the NFL.

John Spytek (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)

John Spytek spent the 2021-22 season as the vice president of player personnel for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He has spent six seasons in Tampa Bay, and 18 in the NFL. Spytek had a hand in bringing Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski to the Buccaneers for a Super Bowl run.

Kwesi Adofo-Mensah (Cleveland Browns)

Kwesi Adofo-Mensah is one of two front office staffers with the Cleveland Browns that the Vikings are looking at. Adofo-Mensah is Cleveland’s vice president of football operations.

Glenn Cook (Cleveland Browns)

Along with Adofo-Mensah, the Vikings have also requested to interview Glenn Cook. He’s the team’s vice president of player personnel and has been in Cleveland for six years. He’s also being pursued by the Bears for their GM opening.

Eliot Wolf (New England Patriots)

Eliot Wolf started his NFL career as a pro personnel assistant in 2004 with the Green Bay Packers and by 2016, was the team’s director of football operations. He was the assistant GM in Cleveland in 2018 and 2019, and has been a front office consultant with the Patriots since 2020.

Brandon Brown (Philadelphia Eagles)

Brandon Brown is in his fifth NFL season with the Eagles and spent the 2021 season as the team’s director of player personnel. He was also the team’s director of pro scouting for two seasons, and joined Philadelphia in 2017 as the assistant director of pro scouting.

Ryan Poles (Kansas City Chiefs)

Ryan Poles, 36, has been with the Chiefs for nearly 13 years, starting in 2009 as a scouting assistant. He is the team’s executive director of player personnel, and is highly-coveted across the NFL for current GM openings. He was a finalist for the Carolina Panthers’ GM opening last year, which went to Scott Fitterer.

Monti Ossenfort (Tennessee Titans)

Monti Ossenfort is currently the vice president of football operations for the Tennessee Titans, and he has local ties. He was a quarterback in college at the University of Minnesota-Morris, and interned with the Vikings at training camp in 2001. He spent 15 seasons with the Patriots before becoming the Titans’ director of player personnel in 2020.

We’ll get a better idea after interviews who the Vikings will specifically target to replace Spielman. It could also provide insight to the team’s next head coach.