Ryan

Grigson

Grigson was a casualty of Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s firing. The Vikings didn’t seem to consider him for their GM vacancy and he was then replaced by a pair of hirings from new GM Nolan Teasley. Grigson initially agreed to stick around in a new role, but a mutual split was likely for the best. Grigson is actually reprising his role as a senior football advisor in Cleveland, having previously held the same title with the Browns in 2020 and 2021. He also served as a senior personnel executive with the team in 2017.

The Vikings fired GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah this offseason. No reports of Grigson interviewing for the vacancy ever surfaced. He was initially expected to remain with the team in a new role after new GM Nolan Teasley hired two assistants of his own. Instead, Grigson is reportedly set to work for a new team, though the details of that move haven’t been reported yet.

“A source in Minnesota actually said that’s been talked about within their building,” Hughes added. McCown probably is worthy of an offensive coordinator shot after a successful stint as Vikings quarterback coach, and Flores is certainly deserving of another head coaching role after the job he did with the Vikings defense this year. We have no idea who invited Ryan Grigson to the discussion — does Trent Richardson work for the Jets? — but at least in theory it’s interesting to talk about the idea of porting a large chunk of the Vikings braintrust over to New York.

Grigson last served as general manager for the Colts (2012-2016), where he oversaw three 11-win seasons in his five-year tenure. He had the easy decision of taking Andrew Luck in the 2012 NFL Draft but failed to put adequate parts around Luck and the offense to make the Colts legitimate contenders. Since his departure from the Colts, Grigson worked in a variety of advisor and personnel roles with the Browns and Seahawks before landing with the Vikings in 2022 in the role he’s serving in now. The Vikings have gone 34-17 since Grigson joined the front office, although much of that success has been laid at the feet of general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and head coach Kevin O’Connell. He becomes the latest in a long line of candidates to receive requests from the Jets as the team looks to move on from a disastrous 2024.

Grigson spent the last two seasons as an advisor for the Browns, overlapping with new Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. Grigson’s stint as the Colts general manager was marked by poor draft selections and a lack of cohesion with coach Chuck Pagano. Grigson clearly has a better working relationship with Adofo-Mensah and is expected to have an important role within the Vikings’ new front office.

After being fired by the Colts after the 2016 season, Grigson was a senior personnel executive for the Browns and a consultant for the Seahawks for one season a pop. His familiarity with the current Browns front office from his one-year stint with the team in 2017 was enough for him to land this “advisory” role. A title like this likely means NFL teams don’t view him as a serious GM candidate at the moment. He wasn’t on a front office roster last season.

Of course they are. CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora reported on Thursday that it was the Niners that wanted Grigson, but PFT’s Mike Florio reports that’s flat out false, and Grigson’s move to the Raiders is a “done deal.” It’s unclear what position Grigson will fill, but he’ll work next to GM Mike Mayock.

Per reporter Michael Gehlken, it is something that could be revisited in the future. Grigson was most recently a Seahawks consultant. That job lasted less than a year.

Grigson spent 2018 as a “senior football consultant” with the Seahawks. It is unclear if his Seattle contract is up or not, or what his role in San Francisco might be. Grigson was a disaster with the Colts, but perhaps he deserves some benefit of the doubt because of the meddlesome nature of Colts owner Jim Irsay.

Grigson’s status had been up in the air since the end of the season. The Colts are finally moving on after years of draft and free agency misses. Grigson’s clashes with coach Chuck Pagano had also become a distraction over the last two-plus seasons. It’s an overdue move for a Colts team that’s missed the playoffs in consecutive years. President of Football Operations Jimmy Raye is a candidate to replace Grigson if Indy stays in-house. Owner Jim Irsay has been pushing Peyton Manning for a front office role.