Chad Alexander, John McKay, Dave Ziegler, Others Receive Vikings GM Interview Requests

2:38pm: It is certainly possible more candidates emerge, but the Minneapolis Star Tribune’s Ben Goessling notes Gray and the five candidates to emerge today represent the full list of external options in the Vikings’ search.

12:59pm: The Vikings’ mid-offseason GM interview search is forming. After Bills assistant GM Terrance Gray received the first known request Wednesday, the Vikes have sent out a host of interview slips.

Minnesota is focusing on the assistant GM level; five more execs with that title join Gray among the NFC North franchise’s list of hopeful meetings. A second-chance candidate — a rarity in the modern NFL — is on Minnesota’s list, with NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero noting the team sent Titans assistant GM Dave Ziegler a request.

Rams assistant GM John McKay, 49ers AGM R.J. Gillen, Chargers AGM Chad Alexander and Seahawks AGM Nolan Teasley also received interview slips from the Vikings, according to Pelissero, CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones and ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Alexander, Gillen and McKay have been part of GM interview processes before; this is a first for Teasley. Gray joins this quintet among candidates, with the Vikes’ current top front office decisionmaker — interim GM Rob Brzezinskilikely to receive an interview as well.

Ziegler teamed with Josh McDaniels with the Raiders, but Mark Davis short-circuited this regime’s plans by firing both less than two years in. Ziegler, who established himself as a GM candidate by working with the Patriots and Broncos, landed as the Titans’ assistant GM in January 2025. Considering Ziegler’s abrupt Las Vegas ouster and the Titans’ 2025 performance, it is a bit surprising the Vikings are interested.

That said, Ziegler did work closely with Bill Belichick and now-Texans GM Nick Caserio in New England, which won three Super Bowls during Ziegler’s time in the front office. This is Ziegler’s first interview request since his Vegas dismissal. After both Tom Telesco and Trent Baalke received pink slips in 2025, the NFL does not have any second-chance GMs in place presently.

Gillen and McKay each interviewed for the Dolphins’ GM post this year. That marked the first such meetings for both NFC West execs. Gillen climbed to the AGM level in San Francisco in 2025, coming up through the scouting ranks to become the team’s player personnel director in 2023. Gillen has been with the 49ers since before John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan’s arrivals, being hired during Trent Baalke‘s GM tenure.

McKay joined the Rams a year before Sean McVay, joining Les Snead‘s front office as a scouting assistant. The McVay-era Rams have certainly represented a launching pad for HC and GM candidates. Ex-Ram staffers Brad Holmes (Lions) and James Gladstone (Jaguars) are currently in GM roles.

Alexander has more interview experience than his California AGM counterparts. The Chargers exec joined Gillen and McKay in the Dolphins’ search and competed with Gladstone for the Jags’ gig last year. The Raiders also brought in Alexander for a meeting in 2025. Alexander has been with the Chargers since shortly after Joe Hortiz‘s 2024 GM hire, coming over from the Jets.

Teasley’s name may be the most interesting here, seeing as the Seahawks won Super Bowl LX. Teasley climbed to the AGM level in 2023 but has been with the Seahawks under John Schneider since 2013. Schneider having won Super Bowls 12 years apart, with two completely different rosters, sets him apart in NFL history. Considering how impressive the Seahawks’ post-Russell Wilson retooling effort has been, it is unsurprising Teasley is on the GM radar. If the Vikings do not end up hiring him, the longtime Seattle staffer figures to be a prime candidate for roles come winter 2027.

The Vikings fired Kwesi Adofo-Mensah in late January and went through the draft with Brzezinski in place in the interim. The team held off on conducting a search until after the draft. With that point having arrived on the NFL calendar, Minnesota’s next FO boss figures to emerge this month.

Seahawks, Dante Fowler Agree To Deal

The Seahawks’ interest in Dante Fowler has been clear in recent days and weeks. Tuesday has indeed seen an agreement reached between team and player.

Fowler is signing with Seattle, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reports. This will be a one-year deal worth up to $5MM, he adds. Fowler visited with the Super Bowl champions last month, and an agreement was still feasible after the draft.

Seattle lost Boye Mafe in free agency, leaving the team in need of at least a rotational presence to replace him. The Seahawks wound up making eight selections in the draft, but none were used on edge rushers. As a result, it comes as little surprise the team has turned to the free agent market deep into the offseason. Fowler will offer plenty in the way of experience along the edge in 2026.

The 31-year-old has racked up 159 appearances and 58 starts over the course of his career. Fowler has seen time with the Jaguars, Rams, Falcons, Cowboys and Commanders across his 10 NFL seasons. In Atlanta and then again in Dallas, he overlapped with Aden Durde, who is currently the Seahawks’ defensive coordinator. Durde’s unit was critical in Seattle’s run to the championship in 2025, and expectations will remain high next year. Fowler, who recorded double-digit sacks as recently as 2024, will look to contribute in the pass rush department.

Seattle still has Uchenna Nwosu, DeMarcus Lawrence and Derick Hall in place as returning edge rushers from last year. The members of that trio will be counted on to remain productive in 2026, but Fowler should have a notable role to play as well. The former No. 3 pick has logged a snap share of 52% or more three times in the 2020s. A workload closer to that of his Cowboys stints will be expected if the Seahawks remain healthy, though the value of this pact certainly points to Fowler being counted on to help replace Mafe’s production.

Seattle entered Tuesday with over $32MM in cap space, making a one-year addition such as this one an affordable option. Fowler has been playing on short-term deals dating back to 2020, so this arrangement will be nothing new to him. He collected $6MM with Dallas last season, and a similar payday should now be in store with the Seahawks.

Kenneth Walker Knew He Would Leave Seahawks In Free Agency

Although running back Kenneth Walker posted his second 1,000-yard regular season and then took home Super Bowl LX MVP honors, the Seahawks did not re-sign the four-year veteran in free agency. Walker ended up joining the Chiefs on a three-year, $43.05MM deal when the negotiating period opened March 9. Leaving Seattle did not come as a surprise to Walker, who told Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk that he saw it coming months ago.

“I would say probably, if I’m being honest, probably like sometime during the season,” Walker said. “You know, things ain’t working out how I was expecting to, and that’s all right. It worked out for the team. So sometime during the season and then we get to free agency, pretty much knowing like you weren’t gonna be there no more.”

As the Seahawks were preparing to face the Patriots in the Super Bowl, general manager John Schneider said he “would love” to keep Walker. The 25-year-old went on to further boost his stock with a 135-yard performance against the Pats, helping the Seahawks to a 29-13 romp.

Walker made it known after the Super Bowl that he hoped to stay in Seattle, but it is unclear if the reigning champions even made him an offer. Without a long-term deal, the Seahawks still could have attempted to retain Walker for another year via the $14.29MM franchise tag (as the Jets did with Breece Hall) or the $11.32MM transition tag. They deemed those prices too rich, though, and allowed their former second-round pick to walk away for a significant raise.

Walker now sits fourth among RBs in total value, average salary ($14.35MM) and guarantees ($28.7MM). The Chiefs expect him to boost a running game that ranked a lackluster 25th in the league last year. Meanwhile, several weeks after Walker left, the Seahawks spent a first-rounder on his replacement, Jadarian Price. As the 32nd pick in the draft, Price’s fully guaranteed rookie deal will check in at approximately $16.73MM over four years.

With the regular season still four months away, Price, free agent addition Emanuel Wilson, George Holani and Kenny McIntosh are among the Seahawks’ healthy backfield options. They also have Zach Charbonnet, who shared snaps with Walker over the previous three years, but his status for the start of 2026 is uncertain after he tore his ACL in the divisional round.

Browns Considered Trading Into First Round For WR Denzel Boston

Reloading at wide receiver, the Browns did not stop after choosing KC Concepcion 24th overall. Cleveland made another big move at the position during the draft, tabbing Denzel Boston at No. 39.

The Browns entered this draft with two first-round picks, obtaining the No. 24 overall selection via the Jaguars’ 2025 Travis Hunter trade-up. The Jags’ dramatic improvement from 2024 to ’25 made that pick less valuable, but the Browns came out of Round 1 with a tackle and a receiver — their long-rumored preference.

Cleveland, however, considered joining the Jets in making it a three-first-rounder haul. The Browns pondered trading back into Round 1 to secure Boston, according to ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler, who notes the team viewed the Seahawks (No. 32) as a potential option. Seattle GM John Schneider confirmed the team was looking to trade down, which the veteran exec has done many times in Round 1 during his lengthy tenure; the defending champs entered the draft with only four picks.

Schneider confirmed potential trade-down opportunities arose, but the Seahawks stayed put and drafted Notre Dame running back Jadarian Price. It should be viewed as a safe bet the Browns represented one of those trade-down chances for the Seahawks, but the team viewed the 49ers as a threat to draft Price. San Francisco, after trading down twice in Round 1, held the No. 33 overall pick to start Round 2.

After the Browns stood down on a first-round trade-up — and what would have been their first three-first-rounder haul since 2017 (when the team added Myles Garrett, David Njoku and Jabrill Peppers) — Fowler adds discussions took place regarding a move up the board early in Round 2. We heard before the 49ers’ No. 33 pick the Browns were among the teams interested in climbing, but no Cleveland trade commenced.

Andrew Berry and Co. bet on a defense-heavy start to the second round and was mostly proven right. After the 49ers chose a receiver (De’Zhaun Stribling) and the Cardinals a guard (Chase Bisontis) to start the draft’s second night, four defensive players (EDGE T.J. Parker, DT Kayden McDonald, CB Colton Hood, S Treydan Stukes) respectively went to the Bills, Texans, Giants and Raiders. That left Boston on the board for longer than expected, and the Browns pounced at No. 39.

Boston was widely mocked as a first-round pick, with pre-draft rumors relaying the Washington product was viewed as a top-three receiver in this class by some teams. Those may not have been entirely accurate, though it is worth wondering if teams merely stood down and addressed other positions while still viewing Boston highly. The Browns conducted a “30” visit with Boston in mid-March and will plug him in alongside Concepcion and Jerry Jeudy. The team has no plans to trade Jeudy despite an underwhelming second season in Cleveland.

The Browns had not used a first- or second-round pick on a receiver under Berry or predecessor John Dorsey. Granted, Cleveland went three drafts without a first-round pick (due to the Deshaun Watson trade/fiasco), but the team has underinvested, draft-wise, at this premier position for a long time. After missing on Corey Coleman in the 2016 first round — when Berry worked under then-front office boss Sashi Brown — Cleveland opted to make other moves at receiver, like trading for Jeudy and Amari Cooper.

Seahawks Were Wary Of 49ers’ Interest In RB Jadarian Price; Seattle Remains Open To Signing Dante Fowler

The Seahawks filled a major need in this year’s draft when they selected Notre Dame RB Jadarian Price with the last pick (No. 32 overall) of Day 1. Although they reportedly attempted to trade out of the first round — and, per ESPN’s Brady Henderson, the Titans (No. 35) and Giants (No. 37) were among the potential trade partners — the ‘Hawks felt comfortable selecting Price for a number of reasons (aside from his obvious talent as a runner and relatively low odometer reading).

As Henderson relays, Price’s character and willingness to eschew more lucrative NIL deals to remain with the Fighting Irish as Jeremiyah Love‘s backup — which Price says he did as a challenge to himself to earn a notable workload alongside Love, whom he called the best player in college football — contributed to GM John Schneider‘s decision to pull the trigger with his first-round selection.

Plus, Schneider was concerned the division-rival 49ers would nab Price at No. 33, and given the perceived gap between Price and the next tier of RBs in this year’s draft class, that would have been a bitter pill to swallow (Henderson says Schneider viewed Washington’s Jonah Coleman and Arkansas’ Mike Washington Jr. as Day 3 options if he was unable to land the former Golden Domer).

The Seahawks’ other realistic first-round target was San Diego State CB Chris Johnson, whom the Dolphins selected at No. 27. Seattle ultimately landed a cornerback prospect when it chose Julian Neal with the No. 99 pick, and it was Neal’s tackling ability that stood out. Riq Woolen, who defected to the Eagles in free agency, was not a sure and willing tackler, and the club hopes Neal will represent an upgrade in that regard and step into Woolen’s CB3 role.

Like Woolen, Dareke Young left the Seahawks in free agency, and Henderson suggests Emmanuel Henderson Jr. the No. 199 pick, could take over for Young on Seattle’s special teams unit thanks to his ability to return and cover kicks. A different wide receiver the ‘Hawks were eyeing for a third phase role, Kentucky’s Kendrick Law, went to the Lions as the 168th pick.

Interestingly, some members of the organization valued fifth-round guard Beau Stephens more highly than Keylan Rutledge, who went to the Texans in the first round. Henderson confirms, as our Connor Byrne recently noted, that Seattle expects Stephens to push Anthony Bradford for the starting right guard spot in 2026.

The board was not as kind to Seattle with respect to pass rushers, as would-be targets like R Mason Thomas, Derrick Moore, and Jaishawn Barham went elsewhere. That leaves the Seahawks without a replacement for Boye Mafe, who signed with the Bengals in March. Dante Fowler, who visited Seattle last month and who remains unsigned, remains one of Schenider’s top options, per Henderson. The ESPN scribe had said in a prior report that Schneider could still sign a pass rusher, whether that’s Fowler or someone else.

Seahawks Announce Seven UDFA Signings

After coming away from Super Bowl LX with a victory, the Seahawks were set to go into the 2026 NFL Draft with a league-low four draft picks. Ultimately, with some crafty movement back in key places, the team left the draft with eight new rookie draft picks. Seattle announced yesterday that their full rookie class had reached 15 players with the signing of these seven undrafted free agents:

The Seahawks were certainly very focused with what they were looking to add in the hours after the draft. One area of focus was the edge group, from which the Seahawks saw Boye Mafe depart in free agency and to which the team failed to address in the draft or free agency. Hubbard was expected to hear his name sometime late on Day 3 after accumulating 19.5 sacks over his last three years in Evanston. Short arms and a left knee injury that hampered him throughout the pre-draft process may have kept him from coming off the board in April.

Jones is a former five-star recruit out of South Florida and will complete the rest of his cross-country trip after stops at Georgia, Florida State, and OU. His father was a top five pick for the Seminoles in 1993, and the linebacker enjoyed an 11-year career for the Jets. Though, Jones has the pedigree of an NFL veteran, along with the untapped potential that his body type and natural ability displayed to earn him a five-star rating in high school, he has yet to put it all together with consistency and production.

The other group the Seahawks focused on was the pass catchers, the most promising of which might be Mason, who transferred to Madison hoping play in the FBS would provide him a runway to the NFL after three years at Missouri State. He isn’t the most imposing athlete on the field, but Mason tends to overdeliver on expectations and can impact the game as a pass catcher, blocker, and special teamer.

2027 NFL Fifth-Year Option Tracker

May 1 marked the deadline for teams to decide on fifth-year options on 2023 first-rounders. The 2020 CBA revamped the option structure and made them fully guaranteed, rather than guaranteed for injury only. Meanwhile, fifth-year option salaries are now determined by a blend of performance- and usage-based benchmarks:

  • Two-time Pro Bowlers (excluding alternates) will earn the same as their position’s franchise tag
  • One-time Pro Bowlers will earn the equivalent of the transition tag
  • Players who achieve any of the following will receive the average of the third-20th top salaries at their position:
    • At least a 75% snap rate in two of their first three seasons
    • A 75% snap average across all three seasons
    • At least 50% in each of first three seasons
  • Players who do not hit any of those benchmarks will receive the average of the third-25th top salaries at their position

PFR’s Offseason Outlook series examined each of these decisions in-depth. Twenty-two options were exercised this year. Here is how each team with an option decision proceeded with 2023 first-round contracts:

  1. QB Bryce Young, Panthers ($25.9MM): Exercised
  2. QB C.J. Stroud, Texans ($25.9MM): Exercised
  3. DE Will Anderson Jr., Texans ($21.51MM): Exercised
  4. QB Anthony Richardson, Colts ($22.48MM): Declined
  5. CB Devon Witherspoon, Seahawks ($21.16MM): Exercised
  6. LT Paris Johnson Jr., Cardinals ($19.07MM): Exercised
  7. DE Tyree Wilson, Saints ($14.48MM): Declined
  8. RB Bijan Robinson, Falcons ($11.32MM): Exercised
  9. DT Jalen Carter, Eagles ($27.13MM): Exercised
  10. RT Darnell Wright, Bears ($19.07MM): Exercised
  11. G Peter Skoronski, Titans ($19.07MM): Exercised
  12. RB Jahmyr Gibbs, Lions ($14.29MM): Exercised
  13. LB Lukas Van Ness, Packers ($13.75MM): Exercised
  14. LT Broderick Jones, Steelers ($19.07MM): Declined
  15. DE Will McDonald, Jets ($13.75MM): Exercised
  16. CB Emmanuel Forbes, Rams ($12.63MM): Declined
  17. CB Christian Gonzalez, Patriots ($18.12MM): Exercised
  18. LB Jack Campbell, Lions ($21.93MM): Declined
  19. DL Calijah Kancey, Buccaneers ($14.48MM): Exercised
  20. WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seahawks ($23.85MM): Exercised
  21. WR Quentin Johnston, Chargers ($18MM): Exercised
  22. WR Zay Flowers, Ravens ($27.3MM): Exercised
  23. WR Jordan Addison, Vikings ($18MM): Exercised
  24. CB Deonte Banks, Giants ($12.63MM): Declined
  25. TE Dalton Kincaid, Bills ($8.16MM): Exercised
  26. DT Mazi Smith, Jets ($13.93MM): Declined
  27. RT Anton Harrison, Jaguars ($19.07MM): Exercised
  28. DE Myles Murphy, Bengals ($14.48MM): Declined
  29. DT Bryan Bresee, Saints ($13.93MM): Exercised
  30. LB Nolan Smith, Eagles ($13.75MM): Exercised
  31. DE Felix Anudike-Uzomah, Chiefs ($14.48MM): Declined

NFL Draft Pick Signings: 4/30/26

Today’s draft pick signings:

Baltimore Ravens

Las Vegas Raiders

Philadelphia Eagles

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Chiefs, Seahawks, Vikings Showed Interest In RB Jonah Coleman

The Broncos ended up making Jonah Coleman this year’s fourth running back drafted. Not viewed as an RB class overflowing with talent, this year’s crop featured two first-rounders (both out of Notre Dame) and just one RB chosen on Day 2 (Indiana’s Kaelon Black, who went to the 49ers).

Denver chose the Washington product with the first of two fourth-round picks (No. 108), doing so after spending extensive time with him during the pre-draft process. The Broncos used a “30” visit on Coleman and, according to his college running backs coach (ex-NFL RB Scottie Graham), and frequently contacted the Huskies to discuss the back.

They were not the only team to show a decent amount of interest in the standout Big Ten rusher. Graham said (via the Denver Gazette’s Chris Tomasson) the Chiefs, Seahawks and Vikings showed a good amount of interest in Coleman before the draft. No trade-up ended up being necessary for Coleman, however, and the Broncos have acquired some near-future insurance on J.K. Dobbins and likely a longer-term RJ Harvey running mate.

They called a number of times and asked a lot of questions,’’ Graham said of the Broncos, via Tomasson. “They’d sometimes call a couple of times in the same day and they wanted to know intimate things about his family. You’re not going to ask some of the questions they did unless you want him. They wanted me to tell them something that nobody knows about him. Then they’d call back again. I said, ‘Jonah, you’re probably going to Denver.‘”

Teams obviously do considerable research on numerous prospects, but Graham also worked with current Broncos defensive line coach Jamar Cain at Arizona State. Cain has known Coleman since he was 16, per Tomasson, serving as the Sun Devils’ recruiter in the area where the RB grew up (Stockton, Calif.).

Each of the rumored Coleman suitors left the draft with RB picks. The Seahawks addressed their need by taking Jadarian Price at No. 32 overall, doing so after a first-round trade-down move fell through. The Chiefs traded up for Nebraska’s Emmett Johnson in Round 5; the Vikings chose Wake Forest’s Demond Claiborne in Round 6.

The Broncos included Dobbins in their re-signing spree, giving him a two-year deal worth $16MM. Dobbins’ $8MM guarantee nearly quadrupled his 2025 salary, representing an interesting decision considering the productive RB’s injury history. Dobbins added to that medical sheet with a Lisfranc issue last season, costing him seven regular-season games and both Broncos playoff contests. The Broncos still placed a high priority on retaining Dobbins, though it appeared he was the team’s second choice (possibly third). Denver made what was believed to be a strong offer to Travis Etienne and was connected to Breece Hall before the Jets franchise-tagged him. Rather than a pricier back, the Broncos ended up with Dobbins and his likely successor.

Coleman transferred from Arizona to Washington in 2024 but was a regular in both teams’ backfields. After an 871-yard sophomore year with the Wildcats, Coleman totaled 1,053 rushing yards in 2024 and 758 in ’25. Last season brought a Big Ten-leading 17 touchdowns for the 5-foot-8, 220-pound back. He added 354 receiving yards in 2025.

Harvey, a 2025 second-rounder, should remain in the Alvin Kamara-like role in Sean Payton‘s offense. Dobbins will presumably enter 2026 in the Mark Ingram spot, as he was a top-five NFL rusher when he suffered his foot injury last year. While Coleman may well be Dobbins’ successor — no guarantees are on the veteran’s deal for 2027 — The Athletic’s Nick Kosmider notes a short-yardage role might be available to the rookie this season.

Although the Broncos re-signed both Tyler Badie and Jaleel McLaughlin, they are unlikely to retain both on their 53-man roster. The team also rosters fullback Nate Adkins, leaving one (or perhaps zero) spots for Badie or McLaughlin now that Coleman is on the team. The team needed McLaughlin — a fourth-year UDFA — more after Dobbins’ injury, but his path to playing time has since narrowed.

Minor NFL Transactions: 4/29/26

Wednesday’s midweek minor moves:

Buffalo Bills

Dallas Cowboys

Detroit Lions

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Minnesota Vikings

Seattle Seahawks

The Seahawks are adding some depth in their tight ends room by bringing in the former Mackey Award winner out of FAU. Seattle relied heavily on a two-man crew featuring AJ Barner and Elijah Arroyo until a knee injury placed the second-round rookie, Arroyo, on injured reserve for most of the rest of the team’s Super Bowl run. When Arroyo went down, veteran Eric Saubert came in to supplement Barner with minimal contributions from undrafted Minnesota rookie Nick Kallerup.

In his rookie year, Bryant looked like he might displace David Njoku as TE2 behind Austin Hooper in Cleveland. He found himself third in the pecking order in Year 2, but returned to TE2 duties, this time behind Njoku, after Hooper was no longer on the team.

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