Mark Wilf clarified a few things after the Minnesota Vikings hired former Seattle Seahawks assistant general manager Nolan Teasley.
Teasley has control over the 53-man roster, and former interim GM Rob Brzezinski will report to him. Interestingly, though, Kevin O’Connell will report to ownership.
“[If] it comes to structure,” Wilf emphasized, “we’ve got a problem.”
If that sounds familiar, former Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah would echo that sentiment when asked about how he and O’Connell make personnel decisions.
Reporters asked Adofo-Mensah about roster control relatively frequently, given that he was a data analyst rather than a former scout. Therefore, he couldn’t push back on personnel decisions as a talent evaluator. Meanwhile, O’Connell and Flores accumulated more power over time, while Adofo-Mensah frequently emphasized collaboration.
Adofo-Mensah felt more like a conduit between various factions, rather than an authoritarian GM. O’Connell likely had significant influence over Minnesota’s decision to start J.J. McCarthy and move on from Sam Darnold last year. Brian Flores probably had a lot of say over who the Vikings drafted this year, given how many defensive players they took.
Typically, ownership will clear out a front office and coaching staff after a disappointing season. The poor play is likely a reflection of poor roster decisions and of coaches not coordinating with the front office or communicating effectively with players. Clearing out the coaching staff also allows the GM to choose a coach with whom he’s confident he can collaborate.
Last year, the Vikings spent over $300 million in free agency and started 4-8. J.J. McCarthy had 11 touchdowns, 12 interceptions, and 1,632 yards passing and missed seven games due to injury. Meanwhile, Sam Darnold had 25 touchdowns, 14 interceptions, and 4,048 yards passing and won the Super Bowl.
The Vikings could have justifiably fired everyone after last season. Instead, they opted for stability. They felt O’Connell was a good offensive coach, and Flores could build a stout defense. Meanwhile, Brzezinski has value as a longtime cap wizard who negotiates player contracts.
Swapping out Adofo-Mensah for Teasley, who has a scouting background, makes sense in the abstract. The Vikings aren’t hiring Teasley to be a “super scout” who can see something other scouts won’t observe on tape. Instead, he’s a masterful collaborator.
“I think ‘connector’ is the best way to say it,” Tanner Swanson, one of Teasley’s closest friends, the director of catching for the New York Yankees, and a former Minnesota Twins coach, told The Athletic. “He has this ability to take different people from different types of roles and make everybody feel like they have a seat at the table.”
People who have followed the Vikings since the Wilfs took over will naturally have consternation about returning to the “triangle of authority” they had from 2006 to 2011. At the time, Rick Spielman, Rob Brzezinski, and the head coach – Brad Childress or Leslie Frasier – shared responsibility for Minnesota’s executive decision-making.
That didn’t work as intended, and the Vikings went back to a typical GM structure in 2012. Spielman ran the team as GM, while Brzezinski, Frasier, and eventually Mike Zimmer worked under him.
Minnesota has maintained a common structure after hiring Teasley, save for O’Connell reporting to ownership. However, Teasley will likely share power with O’Connell and Flores. Vikings ownership had O’Connell participate in the GM hiring process, and Flores is a premier defensive coordinator.
Still, what the Vikings are doing is unconventional. They fired Adofo-Mensah late in the offseason, hired Teasley after the draft, and O’Connell and Flores have significant influence within the organization. Teasley is less the engine and more a significant cog. We’ll have to wait until the winter to see how it all works out.
