Ryan

Grigson

Grigson last served as general manager for the Colts (2012-2016), where he oversaw three 11-win seasons in his five-year tenure. He had the easy decision of taking Andrew Luck in the 2012 NFL Draft but failed to put adequate parts around Luck and the offense to make the Colts legitimate contenders. Since his departure from the Colts, Grigson worked in a variety of advisor and personnel roles with the Browns and Seahawks before landing with the Vikings in 2022 in the role he’s serving in now. The Vikings have gone 34-17 since Grigson joined the front office, although much of that success has been laid at the feet of general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and head coach Kevin O’Connell. He becomes the latest in a long line of candidates to receive requests from the Jets as the team looks to move on from a disastrous 2024.

Grigson spent the last two seasons as an advisor for the Browns, overlapping with new Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. Grigson’s stint as the Colts general manager was marked by poor draft selections and a lack of cohesion with coach Chuck Pagano. Grigson clearly has a better working relationship with Adofo-Mensah and is expected to have an important role within the Vikings’ new front office.

After being fired by the Colts after the 2016 season, Grigson was a senior personnel executive for the Browns and a consultant for the Seahawks for one season a pop. His familiarity with the current Browns front office from his one-year stint with the team in 2017 was enough for him to land this “advisory” role. A title like this likely means NFL teams don’t view him as a serious GM candidate at the moment. He wasn’t on a front office roster last season.

Of course they are. CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora reported on Thursday that it was the Niners that wanted Grigson, but PFT’s Mike Florio reports that’s flat out false, and Grigson’s move to the Raiders is a “done deal.” It’s unclear what position Grigson will fill, but he’ll work next to GM Mike Mayock.

Per reporter Michael Gehlken, it is something that could be revisited in the future. Grigson was most recently a Seahawks consultant. That job lasted less than a year.

Grigson spent 2018 as a “senior football consultant” with the Seahawks. It is unclear if his Seattle contract is up or not, or what his role in San Francisco might be. Grigson was a disaster with the Colts, but perhaps he deserves some benefit of the doubt because of the meddlesome nature of Colts owner Jim Irsay.

Grigson’s status had been up in the air since the end of the season. The Colts are finally moving on after years of draft and free agency misses. Grigson’s clashes with coach Chuck Pagano had also become a distraction over the last two-plus seasons. It’s an overdue move for a Colts team that’s missed the playoffs in consecutive years. President of Football Operations Jimmy Raye is a candidate to replace Grigson if Indy stays in-house. Owner Jim Irsay has been pushing Peyton Manning for a front office role.

Grigson was fired in January after a disastrous five years with the Colts. He’s reuniting with VP of Player Personnel Andrew Berry, over whom Grigson was the boss in Indy. The Browns had an opening after national scout Lake Dawson left for Buffalo. While his hire will undoubtedly be poorly received, Grigson adds a veteran scouting presence to an unproven front office.

Per reporter Bob Kravitz, Grigson has routinely dictated who should play, and “undermined Pagano when he wanted to discipline certain players.” As an example, Kravitz reports Grigson insisted a deadweight Trent Richardson keep playing because Grigson “was concerned with creating the narrative that it was a good trade.” This “report” is clearly coming from Pagano’s side, but Grigson has been highly questionable, at best, as Indy’s GM. Pagano’s job appears toast, but Grigson’s future is murkier. While Grigson has apparently meddled with his coach, he deals with near constant meddling from owner Jim Irsay. It’s fair to say the Colts are in disarray as a franchise.

Word out of Indy the past two seasons has been that Grigson and coach Chuck Pagano didn’t get along. Now, reports are that was overblown, as both Grigson and Pagano are coming back next season. Pagano got a new contract late Monday night, and Grigson already had one year remaining on his deal. Grigson has been a very poor drafter and has spent wildly in free agency only to whiff on most of his big-money deals. His two worst moves have occurred via trade, however, giving up a first-round pick for Trent Richardson and trading away Jerry Hughes in exchange for “Kelvin Sheppard.” To say Grigson’s extension is undeserved, would be an understatement.