Mercifully, Vikings Send a Brutal Idea to the Graveyard

Mercifully, the so-called triangle of authority has not been resurrected, instead allowed to stay in its grave.

The Vikings had a press conference for new GM Nolan Teasley earlier in the day. Vikings co-owner Mark Wilf, the one commonly tasked with media duties, got asked about who gets the final say on personnel. Per Wilf, it’s the GM’s job to pick the 53, which is the way to go.

Vikings Send a Poor Idea Packing

Once upon a time, the Minnesota Vikings employed a quarterback who didn’t believe he had the authority to call a timeout, leading to a costly penalty. Afterwards, there was some clunky press conference moments as the passer and head coach had to explain what took place.

Shouldn’t a team empower the fabulously wealthy QB1 to perform a task as basic as a timeout?

In the hire at GM, the Vikings have avoided the blunder that once beset the Kirk Cousins and Mike Zimmer Vikings. The GM is going to be allowed to do GM things. Otherwise, why bother with the hire unless there’s full autonomy to do the basic functions of the job? Handcuffing a key person leads to predictable foibles.

In Mr. Teasley, the Vikings have hired somebody to choose the roster. That’s as fundamental to being a GM as passing is to a QB (or call a timeout, as the case may be).

Check out how Wilf described the situation: “He’s the general manager of the organization. He has final say on the roster, the 53. But in the end, he’s going to lean heavily — and he’ll say it himself — on our head coach, obviously, and people like Rob Brzezinski.” So, collaboration but with the tiebreaker residing in Teasley.

As it relates to who is above Teasley, Wilf said that the new GM will report directly to ownership.

Given the team’s history, people online noticed and chimed-in on the situation. Tom Pelissero, for instance, said, “Vikings owner/president Mark Wilf says new GM Nolan Teasley will have final say over the roster. Both Teasley and coach Kevin O’Connell will report to ownership, with EVP Rob Brzezinski reporting to Teasley.”

Thor Nystrom jumped into the mix: “Mark Wilf just said Nolan Teasley has final say on the 53-man roster. That’s all I wanted to hear during this presser — that’s a win.”

What’s similarly of note was Teasley’s emphasis on learning what the coaching staff needs.

Back in those Zimmer days, Rick Spielman failed to maintain harmony with the head coach. Some friction is a good thing, but there does need to a resolution. A kingdom divided against itself cannot stand; eventually, Zimmer and Spielman were both fired largely due to internal disagreement that could never be reconciled in a productive way.

Teasley’s task involves gaining an expert understanding of what the coaches need before then acquiring players to fulfill the coaching staff’s vision. Sounds basic, but it’s not always a foregone conclusion within a sport where everybody is ultra opinionated.

The coming days and weeks are sure to be hectic for Teasley. He has much to learn about life in Eagan before he then makes a pile of consequential decisions. The good news is merely that he’ll be allowed to function in a normal manner. Just as a restaurant shouldn’t hire a chef before insisting this person can’t cook, a football team shouldn’t prohibit a GM from shaping the roster.

On the field, the Vikings have been moving through OTAs. Next up is mandatory minicamp before a good size summer break. In all likelihood, downtime for the players will mean long hours for the front office executive who is being tasked with moving Minnesota from good to great.

Senior Editor for Vikings Territory & PurplePTSD . Twitter & Bluesky: @VikingsGazette. Email: k.joudry[at]vikingsterritory[dot]com. Canadian. Jude 1:24-25.