INDIANAPOLIS — Rob Brzezinski has the kind of poker face that one develops in 27 years of negotiating NFL contracts. It helped him Tuesday as he spoke publicly for the first time since the Minnesota Vikings elevated him, on a temporary basis, into what amounts to an interim general manager role.
Asked twice if he wants the permanent job, which owners Zygi and Mark Wilf intend to fill after the draft, Brzezinski — the Vikings’ primary football administrator since 1999 — smiled and said nothing that betrayed his true feelings.
“I am just focused right now on the next two months or whatever’s ahead of us into the draft,” he said. “It’s an awesome responsibility. I’ve been here a long time. I know what this franchise means to our fans and just want to be a small part of one day delivering that championship. And so whatever steps we can take in the next couple of months, we’re going to do that to make that happen. And that’s what I’m focused on right now.”
The Vikings’ most pressing issue at the moment is deciding how to stock their quarterback depth chart following J.J. McCarthy‘s 10-game, injury-filled season as a starter. Eventually, they’ll be consumed by another critical question: How to replace former general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, whom the Wilfs fired Jan. 30.
Mark Wilf said he expects the search to begin in earnest after the draft. The first question they’ll need to answer, however, is whether anyone in the building is a candidate.
Although he didn’t want to address that question, Brzezinski spoke extensively about his passion for team building. And while Mark Wilf prefers a traditional structure where the general manager has personnel authority and makes final decisions with what he called “extremely heavy input” from the head coach, it would be wrong to view that configuration as a certainty.
In a separate interview Tuesday, coach Kevin O’Connell was asked if he wanted to have more power under the new configuration than he did during Adofo-Mensah’s tenure.
“I want ultimately what’s best for the organization under the direction of our ownership,” O’Connell said.
That wasn’t a no.
To be fair, Vikings coaches had grown their influence over personnel matters as Adofo-Mensah’s tenure began. O’Connell and defensive coordinator Brian Flores spoke openly about them surfacing prospects and ideas that the organization ultimately acted upon.
In a handful of NFL franchises, owners put the head coach in a position where he in essence cannot be overruled. Those coaches — the most notable example is the Kansas City Chiefs‘ Andy Reid — don’t necessarily carry the title of general manager. But they have full roster control and shape the organizational decisions they choose to get involved in.
“I do feel like I have a strong role within the organization as the coach of the team and leading our coaching staff,” O’Connell said. “But at the same time, I do feel like the essence of what our ownership feels very strongly about is in total alignment with how I view healthy, good organizations making great decisions and building good football teams.”
Brzezinski has spent most of his career out of the public spotlight and has turned down several opportunities to move to more prominent roles with other organizations. But it was hard to mistake the way he talked about what amounts to the primary task of a general manager.
“I’ve been in this business a long time,” he said. “I’ve been very, very fortunate to be [in Minnesota] a long time. Team building has always been a passion of mine. I’ve studied a lot. In my 33 years in this business, I’ve sat in every meeting. I’ve been a part of every roster construction every year. And so I’ve seen a lot, and I’ve studied a lot and I’m excited about that piece.
“But ultimately this is about the people and alignment. And [O’Connell] and I are going to work very, very closely together to make sure that the personnel staff and the coaching staff are aligned and that we’re just going to stack good decisions here in this time period. … And I just feel very, very confident about my relationship with KO and in the relationships in the building overall.”
No matter what structure or candidate they might favor, the Wilfs are required by NFL rules to conduct an inclusive search that must include at least two diverse external candidates. Most general managers come from a scouting background, but leadership, organizational abilities and people skills are paramount. That profile — someone who will serve as a guardrail and gatekeeper but not an autocrat — fits Brzezinski.
“He’s unbelievable with people,” O’Connell said of Brzezinski. “He knows how to connect people and bring out the best in people. And that’s what we need right now. That’s what Rob has brought, and will continue to bring.”
