5 options for Vikings to replace recently fired GM Rick Spielman

The Minnesota Vikings are looking to replace Rick Spielman as general manager before deciding on former head coach Mike Zimmer’s replacement.

“Both searches are starting right away. But the GM is going to be our first selection, and then the GM will have input in the head coach,” team owner/president Mark Wilf said on Monday.

It’s imperative that the Vikings knock the GM hire out of the park, especially if he/she is basically getting the green light to rebuild the new regime, starting with the selection of the head coach.

The job in Minnesota should be the most coveted opening out there right now. Spielman was GM for 10 years, and Zimmer stuck on as head coach for eight years for an organization that obviously values stability.

Ownership has also demonstrated more of a hands-off approach, which limits the chances of butting heads with executives.

Whoever gets the job is going to get the chance to run the show completely without always looking over their shoulder. And they’ll get a roster with enough of the right pieces to step in and win right away.

Here are five options to replace Spielman:

List

Fans react to Vikings firing Mike Zimmer and Rick Spielman

Louis Riddick

It’s only a matter of time before Louis Riddick leaves his broadcasting gig and jumps back into the thick of things as an NFL executive. His days as a pro scout stem from over 20 years ago. He later joined ESPN after finishing up his three-year tenure as director of pro personnel with the Philadelphia Eagles back in 2013.

There’s no doubt he’d come to the Vikings full of energy since this would be his first run as a general manager. The knowledge and talent is certainly there for him to do a great job, and you’d be hard-pressed to find a more charismatic candidate. ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith calls the man “Mr. Chippendale” for crying out loud.

Dan Morgan

Dan Morgan has come a long way since his days of pancaking players on the football field. The former All-Pro linebacker scaled the ladder all the way from a scouting intern with the Seattle Seahawks to the current assistant general manager for the Carolina Panthers. So he’s basically already being groomed for this job.

The defense has clearly been a problem for the Vikings in recent seasons, and the hope would be a developing executive with the sort of defensive eye as Morgan turning things around. An argument could be made that the Panthers are only a quarterback away from being a contender.

Morgan has helped general manager Scott Fitterer do some really good things in Carolina, outside of trading for quarterback Sam Darnold.

Brandon Brown

Philadelphia Eagles director of player personnel Brandon Brown is clearly on the up-and-up to be a future GM in the NFL. The youth movement is the craze right now, and the former Fordham University defensive back checks all of the boxes as a man capable of leading the Vikings into the future.

He spent multiple years in Indianapolis working as a scout for the Colts before eventually getting the job offer to come to Philly. If the Vikings are looking for high-end intelligence and attention to detail, it would be hard to do better than Brown, who also has a law degree.

A hire like this one would speak to the Vikings’ hopes of breathing some life into a franchise that seems stuck in the mud.

Morocco Brown

Colts director of college scouting Morocco Brown has already been requested for an interview with the Chicago Bears. So yes, teams with an immediate GM opening aren’t messing around with this man’s talent.

And neither should the Vikings.

The drafting for the Colts in recent years has been absolutely superb, and Brown has played a big role in all of it. He has an eye for talent that can’t be denied after the team found second-round gems in recent drafts with NFL rushing yards leader Jonathan Taylor and All-Pro linebacker Darius Leonard.

Experience won’t be a factor, either, considering he has spent over 20 years working in the front office for the Colts, Bears, Washington Football Team and Cleveland Browns.

Ed Dodds

Morocco Brown isn’t the only candidate with ties to the Colts that has piqued the Bears’ interest. Colts assistant general manager, Ed Dodds, got the same formal invitation for an interview, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.

There were thoughts that he might land the Cleveland Browns GM job back in 2020, but he opted to stick around in Indy. If the right opportunity comes knocking, he’s likely to answer this time around. But would he feel like the Vikings are the right opportunity for him?

Vikings fans should certainly hope so if he can bring the same personnel success he found in Indy to Minnesota.

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