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David Levine -> RE: General Vikes Talkk (5/30/2026 7:11:41 PM)
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Krauser:
Good news -- I was hoping for Teasley or Burckhardt
Teasley has a strong reputation as a talent evaluator, which is the main thing I wanted from the new GM. He came up on the pro personnel side of the Seahawks organization -- meaning, he was involved in trades and free agent moves more than college scouting for the draft.
Teasley was the Seahawks director of pro personnel for 5 years (2018-22) before taking the assistant GM role. Seattle didn't have much cap space during most of that time, so free agent additions were limited. Their biggest trades were Frank Clark out, Jadeveon Clowney in, Jamal Adams in, and Russell Wilson out. The edge rusher moves were roughly a wash. They got a late 1st round pick from KC for Clark but then wasted it on LJ Collier. The Adams trade was bad -- two 1sts and a 3rd for a SS who didn't have nearly the impact that cost would require. The Wilson trade was one of the biggest fleecings in recent memory -- Russ was mostly washed by that point, and the haul they got for him (two 1sts and two 2nds, plus) was a major reason they won the Super Bowl last year: the picks turned into Charles Cross, Devon Witherspoon, Boye Mafe and Derick Hall.
Seahawks pro personnel under Teasley would also deserve credit for finding Geno Smith, who originally signed in 2019 as a street free agent sign for the minimum. Geno ended up throwing for nearly 13K yards with a record of 28-24 in Seattle. Having him allowed them to move on from Wilson, and set the stage for them to take the next step once Darnold fell into their lap last year.
Assuming Teasley continued to have a major role in pro personnel as the assistant GM, he would also get some credit for the Darnold signing. Other big pro personnel moves for Seattle since 2023 included signing Demarcus Lawrence and trading for Leonard Williams (a steal, for a 2nd and a 5th), Ernest Jones and Rashid Shaheed. Off the top of my head, the Seahawks haven't made a bad major free agent signing in years, and haven't lost significant value in a trade since Jamal Adams in 2020.
Teasley no doubt also had some involvement in the draft process while in Seattle, at least since becoming assistant GM in 2023. Schneider had a bad run of drafting for several years (2017-21) but turned things around in 2022, and they've been excellent since (well, until this year). Since 2023, Seahawks have drafted Devon Witherspoon, Jaxson Smith-Njigba, Derick Hall, Zach Charbonnet, Byron Murphy, AJ Barner, Grey Zabel, and Nick Emmanwori. Unclear how much credit Teasley should get for that haul, but he must have been involved in the process.
Teasley also has a strong reputation in terms of his attitude and personal skills. The quotes are all anonymous, but he's described as likeable and patient, hard working and innovative. Someone said he would've been a GM already if he played politics. I like the story of him sending a letter to 32 NFL teams looking for an opportunity, and then starting as an intern in Seattle and working his way up. He's willing to grind.
As Vikings GM, Teasley will be likely be expected to collaborate with O'Connell (and Flores) in building the roster. I think the Vikings coaches will (continue to) have influence on personnel decisions, one way or the other. For much of Teasley's time in Seattle, Pete Carroll as HC had a role in personnel decisions, especially on defense. It seems likely that Mike Macdonald has a similar role there too, again especially on defense. Seattle has never had star coaching talent on the offense until Klint Kubiak last year (recent OCs Brian Schottenheimer, Shane Waldron, Ryan Grubb), so I don't know how much the coaches had to do with the assembling the talent on that side of the ball. But in any case, GM John Schneider has had a collaborative approach with the Seattle coaches over the years, and I guess GM Nolan Teasley will too in Minnesota.
I don't know how many immediate changes Teasley will make to the Vikings front office, but I imagine he'll have the freedom to rework things especially in terms of the scouting. I'm a bit surprised the Wilfs decided to go with a candidate not previously connected to their front office (particularly over Burckhardt, who was fairly high up in the Vikings organization before he left for Denver to become George Paton's right-hand man). But it's a welcome change to bring in an outsider's perspective. Vikings have had a lot of continuity going back about 20 years, and have been consistently good-not-great for most of that time. It'll be good to have someone try to take the next step, even (especially?) if that means shaking things up.
I've made the point before, but the Seahawks developmental arc over the last decade or so had a lot in common with the Vikings -- a strong but not elite roster, veteran QBs who have been good but not elite, consistently fairly good in the regular season (never tanking or bottoming out) but not really contenders, little or no playoff success. But Seattle hit on some key moves recently -- the Wilson trade, especially, but also the Leo Williams trade, the high value picks in the 2022-25 drafts, and signing Darnold -- and have become the best team in the league. Teasley was at the very top of the Seahawks organization as they took those key steps over the last few years. He'll presumably have some very specific ideas of how to repeat the process in Minnesota.
Maybe the best thing about this hire is that Teasley comes from a stable and well run organization in Seattle. Schneider has been the GM there since 2010, and they've only had 2 head coaches in that time. Teasley himself has worked up the ranks with the Seahawks since 2013 and has had 3 years of experience as an assistant GM level, during which time they won a ring. I think that stability and growth is a good sign. I hope Teasley can continue that process with the Vikings, and succeed to the point that he can be a 10+ year GM in his own right.
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