His departure wasn’t a true shocker, but the timing of Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s dismissal sure was. The Vikings waited roughly three weeks after the season’s conclusion to fire their general manager after four years and decided to postpone the search for a successor until the spring.

That search has indeed kicked off. An external search firm has been hired and the interviews will be conducted behind closed doors, unlike four years ago when the franchise announced each interview.

One guy who has removed himself entirely from any consideration is Broncos general manager George Paton. Minnesota’s former assistant executive under Rick Spielman’s watch has signed a contract extension in Denver.

On Friday, the Broncos wrote on their website, “The Denver Broncos have signed General Manager George Paton to a new five-year contract through the 2030 season, Owner and CEO Greg Penner announced Friday.”

Paton was employed in the Twin Cities for over a decade, but the Broncos offered him the promotion from assistant GM to GM in 2021 and he left TCO Performance Center. As his contract was set to expire, Paton’s name surfaced in early Vikings GM rumors in January and February, but ultimately stayed put. It’s unclear whether either party entertained a reunion.

The 56-year-old has overhauled Denver’s roster over the years and landing head coach Sean Payton was certainly a home run three years ago. His draft success has been up-and-down, but he undoubtedly found some impact players, headlined by Pat Surtain II.

The Athletic’s Nick Kosmider commented, “Broncos draft picks during Paton’s tenure have earned a combined nine Pro Bowl berths and five first-team All-Pro honors. Five of his draft picks since 2021 have signed second contracts with the team.”

He does, however, have some mistakes on his resume.

Kosmider added, “Paton’s two notable misfires came in 2022. A blockbuster trade for quarterback Russell Wilson — Denver sent Seattle five draft picks, including first-rounders in the 2022 and 2023 drafts — netted only 11 wins in 30 starts over two seasons before the veteran was released. Nathaniel Hackett, Paton’s first head-coach hire in 2022, was fired after 15 games in his debut season.”

Wilson’s and Hackett’s tenures were a disaster. Adding Wilson could have fit Minnesota’s quarterback track record. Yet, under Paton’s guidance, with new owners and a new head coach, the organization has rebounded and made the trip to the AFC title game in January. The Broncos lost a close game to the New England Patriots, while quarterback Bo Nix was sidelined with a fractured ankle.

Long story short, Paton won’t be the man in charge of Minnesota’s football operations. Following Adofo-Mensah’s exit, the Vikings relied on Rob Brzezinski’s experience, having pulled the strings behind the scenes for decades. He is expected to be a strong candidate for the full-time job.

In the meantime, the Vikings have six outside candidates on their list.

Vikings writer Alec Lewis (The Athletic) reported this week, “The Minnesota Vikings entered the next phase of their general manager search Wednesday. According to league sources, the team submitted interview requests for six external candidates, all of whom are assistant general managers for their respective teams: Terrance Gray of the Buffalo Bills, John McKay of the Los Angeles Rams, Nolan Teasley of the Seattle Seahawks, Chad Alexander of the Los Angeles Chargers, RJ Gillen of the San Francisco 49ers and Dave Ziegler of the Tennessee Titans.”

It’s easy to evaluate coordinators who are head-coaching candidates because their influence is directly visible on the screen on Sundays, but it’s always a mystery from the outside what assistant GMs actually do in their respective franchises. It’s anyone’s guess who the top candidates are.

There’s a good chance the operations will get a new leader in the next few weeks or months.

Janik Eckardt is a German sports nerd, who likes numbers and stats. He chose the Vikings to be his … More about Janik Eckardt