Vikings promote Ryan Grigson, Demetrius Washington to assistant GM

Grigson, 53, was previously the senior vice president of player personnel in Minnesota's front office, a role he had held since he was hired by Adofo-Mensah in 2022. The two previously overlapped in Cleveland from 2020-21, when Grigson was a senior football advisor and Adofo-Mensah was the vice president of football operations under GM Andrew Berry.

A sixth-round pick out of Purdue in 1995, Grigson's playing career was cut short due to injury. He began a second NFL career as a scout for the Rams in 1999, then worked his way up the ranks with the Eagles from 2004-11. In 2012, Grigson was hired as the Colts' GM, a position he held until 2016. His stint was controversial among Colts fans, who believe his failure to put a strong offensive line in front of Andrew Luck may have contributed to the star quarterback's early retirement. However, Indianapolis did go 49-31 in those five seasons, making three playoff appearances.

Over the last three years in Minnesota, Grigson has been a highly-valuable resource for Adofo-Mensah, aiding in major personnel decisions. He interviewed with the Jets for their GM opening this offseason and could receive another opportunity to lead a front office at some point.

Washington is also entering his fourth season with the Vikings. He spent 2015-21 with the 49ers' football research and development department, overlapping with Adofo-Mensah for five of those years. He started out as an intern with the Browns in 2013. Washington's previous title in Minnesota was vice president of football operations — Adofo-Mensah's old title in Cleveland. He could be a candidate for future GM openings if a team is looking for a young executive with an analytics background.