The Vikings’ search for a new general manager may include a very familiar face. According to reporting from The Athletic, […]

The Vikings’ search for a new general manager may include a very familiar face.

According to reporting from The Athletic, current Broncos GM George Paton — a longtime former Vikings executive — has surfaced in league conversations as a potential candidate for Minnesota’s open front office job.

After the disappointing 2025 season, with the added frustration of Sam Darnold’s trip to the Super Bowl, the Minnesota Vikings moved on from GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah after four seasons. The franchise needs a new person in charge of the football operation. Until after the Draft, longtime front office member Rob Brzezinski will take over.

Unless he is made full-time Vikings GM, Adofo-Mensah’s replacement is still out there. Unlike the head-coaching process, new GM candidates are less prominent. Coordinators are generally better known than assistant general managers. Therefore, it’s harder to make a list of options.

But there’s one guy the Vikings know. The Athletic’s national reporter Dianna Russini and Vikings beat writer Alec Lewis wrote on Sunday, “On Friday, Wilf did not rule out Brzezinski emerging as a candidate for the full-time general manager role. Multiple league sources believe he would be deserving of consideration. Another name circulating in conversations with league sources is former Vikings executive and current Broncos general manager George Paton, who still has strong internal relationships.”

The problem is availability. Paton is still under contract in Denver and is expected to receive an extension, meaning the Vikings would likely need permission to even pursue an interview. For now, the connection feels more speculative than imminent.

Paton has deep ties to Minnesota, spending more than a decade working under Rick Spielman and eventually serving as assistant general manager. Denver hired him away in 2021, and after an uneven start, he’s helped steer the Broncos back into playoff contention — the kind of résumé that keeps his name circulating in league hiring conversations.

Paton survived the early struggles and hired Sean Payton in 2023, leading to back-to-back playoff appearances in 2024 and 2025. In the postseason, the Broncos went 1-2 under his watch.

The GM is still under contract and is widely expected to land a contract extension. Unless the Vikings wait a year, there’s no clear path to getting their hands on their former employee.

Zach Kelberman of Si.com commented on the note from The Athletic, “Crazier things have transpired in the NFL, but it be a massive shock if Paton shook loose from his current post to reunite with the organization he not long ago defected.”

He added that Paton is viewed as “an elite drafter,” which is certainly something the Vikings need in the building after years of subpar draft results throughout the Adofo-Mensah era, but also in the final years of Spielman. Sure, he found franchise cornerstones Justin Jefferson and Christian Darrisaw in his final two drafts, but those two were surrounded by countless misses over the years.

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported last month, “GM George Paton is finishing the fifth year of a six-year deal. He doesn’t have an extension yet. Signs point to Paton staying in Denver. The Broncos have 24 regular-season wins in the past two years with Paton and head coach Sean Payton together. The drafts have been successful. Perhaps Denver works out an extension this offseason. But if he became available for some reason, he’d be a hot GM candidate.”

Paton still has connections to the Vikings, especially with Brzezinski and the ownership group. There’s a decent chance the Vikings would be interested in his services, but it seems a little far-fetched at this point, simply because of his contract with the Broncos. Given his recent success, there’s no reason why the Broncos would allow him to seek the opening in Minnesota.

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