Minnesota Vikings hire Seahawks assistant GM Nolan Teasley as general manager
The Minnesota Vikings have named Seattle Seahawks assistant general manager Nolan Teasley as their GM.
The team, which announced the move on Monday, said Teasley has worked with the Seahawks for the past 13 seasons, the last three of which were spent as assistant GM. He played a role in nine playoff appearances, three Super Bowl runs and two championships.
"He has a strong understanding of talent evaluation at both the collegiate and professional levels, significant experience with building a consistently competitive roster through the draft, free agency and trades, and he brings a disciplined, process-driven approach to the job," Mark Wilf, Vikings owner and president, said in a written statement.
Teasley started his tenure with Seattle as an intern in the team's scouting department in 2013 before he was promoted to pro personnel scout. He's also spent time as director of pro personnel. The Vikings said he was "integral" in the Seahawks' strategy for unrestricted free agency and year-round trade analysis.
"What really impressed us in our discussions with Nolan and with people around the league was his wide range of experience in football operations," Zygi Wilf, Vikings owner and chairman, said. "Nolan understands schematics and player traits at a high level, and that knowledge earns him credibility with each coaching staff he's been around."
The Vikings fired Kwesi Adofo-Mensah in January after four seasons as the franchise's GM. Adofo-Mensah made several splashy free-agent signings during his tenure, particularly on the defensive side (Jonathan Greenard, Andrew Van Ginkel and Blake Cashman, among others). But his drafting, especially in the first round, was debilitating for the team. Only wide receiver Jordan Addison was a proven hit, though last year's pick, guard Donovan Jackson, has shown promise.
It's perhaps no surprise, then, that the Vikings decided to move on from Adofo-Mensah three months before this year's draft. What was startling to some, though, was the decision to forestall the permanent GM search until after the draft. In the interim, ownership handed the duties to longtime personnel executive Rob Brzezinski. Whether Brzezinski is a better drafter than his predecessor won't be clear for some time, but the players picked and public comments show a philosophy emphasizing high upside and team fit.
Brzezinski spent little in free agency, grabbing quarterback Kyler Murray for peanuts, re-signing several depth players and adding swing tackle Ryan Van Demark. He made the cost-cutting moves of releasing defensive tackles Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave, then trading Greenard to the Philadelphia Eagles. While the team still has plenty of talent across the roster, it will be reliant on rookies and unproven veterans at several positions next season.
One of Teasley's primary responsibilities will be navigating the Vikings' future at the quarterback position. Murray will compete with J.J. McCarthy, last year's inconsistent, young starter. McCarthy was Adofo-Mensah's biggest swing as GM — he traded up one pick to draft him in the top 10, then seemingly prioritized his development over continuity with Sam Darnold after a 14-win season. Darnold chose the Seattle Seahawks in free agency and won a Super Bowl in his first season there.
If neither Murray nor McCarthy has the juice to lead the Vikings, Teasley will face his tallest task in his first true offseason: finding a franchise quarterback.
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