A product of the kind of success the Detroit Lions have enjoyed over the last few seasons is other teams wanting to bring a piece of that pie to their organizations. A lot of that has come via the loss of coaches, as Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn both took head coaching jobs, but assistant general manager Ray Agnew has also been a candidate for general manager jobs in recent years.
At a certain point, it's possible Agnew doesn't want to leave the Lions for anything other than the perfect opportunity to be a general manager for the first time. If Johnson in particular had taken a head coaching job with a team that also had a GM opening, Agnew may very well have followed him.
Following Glenn to the New York Jets might have been possible, but Agnew made a good career choice there if it was an option.
Agnew's time to become a general manager is coming at some point, if he wants it.
Ray Agnew easily lands on list of candidates for looming GM opening
Weeks after last season was over, in a case of odd timing, the Minnesota Vikings fired general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. Long-time front office executive Rob Brzezinski was named interim general manager, with a permanent hire to come after the draft.
At this point it's trending toward likely that Brzezinski will simply have his interim tag removed and be Adofo-Mensah's official replacement. But a wider search absolutely should be done, and perhaps has already started on some level.
With that in mind, with reference to the kind of general manager they're looking to hire (scouting background, etc.), AJ Schulte and Tyler Forness of AtoZ Sports have offered some external candidates for the Vikings general manager post.
Agnew made the list.
"Agnew has been an extremely valuable piece in the Lions’ turnaround, and was a key cog for the Rams in his time in Los Angeles. He’s on the older side at 58, but his experience in the NFL over the last 30+ years has been stellar. Agnew knows how to instill a proper, winning culture in a building and is in general a very likeable and relatable man. He’s genuine, and that shows in the Lions’ draft process. Agnew has been consistently praised by many people I talk to, and his work as an executive has been one of the most under-the-radar parts of the Lions’ turnaround."
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With 11 seasons as an NFL player, followed by seven years as director of player development/team pastor with the Los Angeles Rams, to now approaching a decade of front office experience with the Rams and Lions, Agnew occupies a unique space as a general manager candidate.
He is well-regarded in league circles, and despite being older than a typical GM candidate it feels like a matter of time before he gets a well-deserved oppportunity to lead a front office.
If the Vikings want to interview Agnew for their general manager job, the Lions cannot block him from doing so. So it may come down to his desire to interview, or lack thereof.
In any case, a uniquely-time opportunity could be coming Agnew's way soon, and the Vikings should absolutely have interest in making him their next general manager.
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