The Jets May Want a Viking in Their Front Office
The New York Jets are full tilt on exploring existing Minnesota Vikings coaches and executives.
The Jets May Want a Viking in Their Front Office
New York’s ownership will interview Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores and quarterbacks coach Josh McCown for a head coaching vacancy before too long, but that’s not all.
The Jets will also chat with Ryan Grigson, the Vikings’ senior vice president of player personnel, presumably about a general manager gig.
The Athletic‘s Dianna Russini tweeted Monday, “The New York Jets have requested to speak to Vikings senior VP of player personnel Ryan Grigson, per source.”
New York has already completed general manager interviews with these men:
- Thomas Dimitroff
- Jon Robinson
- Jim Nagy
- Louis Riddick
ESPN actually predicted Grigson as a Jets GM candidate in November. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler explained seven weeks ago, “An intriguing candidate has to actually want the Jets general manager job. This will not be the most desirable opening. But since general managers enjoy longer tenures than head coaches, and only 32 of these jobs exist, the candidate pool will be fairly strong.”
Fowler then named-dropped Grigson: “Winners are an easy place to start. Several executives play a pivotal role in the roster building and culture of contenders, including Eagles assistant general manager Alec Halaby, Bills director of player personnel Terrance Gray, Vikings senior vice president of player personnel Ryan Grigson, Texans executive vice president of player personnel James Liipfert, Lions assistant general manager Ray Agnew, Steelers assistant general manager Andy Weidl and Chargers assistant general manager Chad Alexander — a former lieutenant of Douglas’ in New York.”
Grigson arrived in the Twin Cities at the dawn of the Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and Kevin O’Connell era (2022) and has served as senior vice president of player personnel since. Some Vikings fans have “blamed” Grigson, in part, for some of the poor draft choices since 2022, but little evidence corroborates the theory.
Here’s Grigson’s NFL resume to date:
St. Louis Rams (1999–2003)
— National scout and area scout
Philadelphia Eagles (2004–2005)
— Western regional scout
Philadelphia Eagles (2006–2009)
— Director of college scouting
Philadelphia Eagles (2010–2011)
— Director of player personnel
Indianapolis Colts (2012–2016)
— General manager
Cleveland Browns (2017)
— Senior personnel executive
Seattle Seahawks (2018–2019)
— Senior football consultant
Cleveland Browns (2020–2021)
— Senior football advisor
Minnesota Vikings (2022–present)
— Senior vice president of player personnel
Grigson is most famous for selecting Andrew Luck in the 2012 NFL Draft as the Colts’ general manager. On Grigson’s watch, Indianapolis showcased a 49-31 (.613) winning percentage.
Former Vikings general manager Rick Spielman is acting as a consultant amid the Jets’ GM and HC search.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
You must be logged in to post a comment.