Following the surprising firing of GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah by the Minnesota Vikings earlier in the week, especially given the timing of it, the Vikings find themselves scrambling ahead of free agency and the 2026 NFL Draft at the most important position in the front office.
Though Vikings vice president of football operations Rob Brzezinski will oversee things for the franchise through the draft, Minnesota is back in the market for a GM. Brzezinski is a clear candidate to replace Adofo-Mensah, but for The Athletic’s Alec Lewis, who covers the Vikings, one member of the Steelers’ front office could be a candidate, too.
For Lewis, Steelers assistant GM Andy Weidl is one of 12 names that makes sense for Minnesota’s vacancy.
“The Vikings would love to replicate the Philadelphia Eagles’ recent success. Weidl spent six seasons with Philadelphia under general manager Howie Roseman. He is well thought of throughout the NFL,” Lewis writes of Weidl as a possible candidate for the Vikings. “The Pittsburgh Steelers poached him in 2022 with the intention of creating an evaluation process similar to what the Eagles have built. Weidl was first schooled as a scout under legendary Baltimore Ravens executive Ozzie Newsome.
“Weidl recently interviewed for the Atlanta Falcons’ general manager position. Atlanta chose another former Eagles executive, Ian Cunningham, underscoring the league’s respect for what Philadelphia’s front office has done.”
Weidl has been with the Steelers since joining the organization shortly after the 2022 NFL Draft, moving into the assistant GM role under GM Omar Khan after Khan took over for Kevin Colbert. Weidl had previously interviewed for the GM job when Colbert announced he was going to retire, but Khan ultimately got the job.
So, Weidl jumped at the chance to be an assistant GM, and he’s put his mark on the team in just a few short years, primarily through the emphasis on the trenches on both sides of the football through the NFL Draft and in free agency.
That assistant GM role that Weidl moved into was one that was specifically created for him due to the belief the organization had in Weidl’s scouting abilities. Since then, he’s helped land the likes of Broderick Jones, Zach Frazier, Mason McCormick, Troy Fautanu, Spencer Anderson, Dylan Cook, Derrick Harmon, Yahya Black, Keeanu Benton and Logan Lee in the trenches in the draft.
The Steelers have been building from the inside out, and Weidl has been a big part of that. He’s highly respected around the league, and the Vikings’ decision to fire Adofo-Mensah opens up another opportunity for Weidl to potentially land his own GM role in the NFL.
At some point, that will happen for him. He’s not going to stay in Pittsburgh as an assistant GM forever. But for now, the Steelers are fortunately to still have him in the front office. He previously interviewed for the Atlanta Falcons’ opening at GM this offseason, and though he didn’t land it, he continues to generate attention when it comes to the top role in the NFL for organizations.
His next opportunity could be coming with the Vikings.