Even though new Las Vegas Raiders GM John Spytek has not proven he can build a winning team just yet, fans can feel confident in his ability to stockpile talent and set No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza up for success. This feeling never really seemed to come to fruition when discussing old general manager Dave Ziegler.
Despite the fact that Ziegler was washed out of Las Vegas before he even managed two full seasons and never oversaw a team that was going anywhere in the AFC West, other teams across the NFL seemingly are willing to give Ziegler a chance to right his wrongs and take control of another front office.
The Minnesota Vikings, who conducted their 2026 NFL Draft without a general manager after the dismissal of Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, are interviewing Ziegler for their vacancy. Ziegler, as these failed executives often manage to do, landed on his feet as the assistant GM of the Tennessee Titans.
If Minnesota flips on a 2023 Raiders game while waiting for Ziegler, they might reverse course as soon as possible.
Ex-Raiders GM Dave Ziegler interviewing for Vikings job
The Raiders fell victim to the same allure many other franchises did when they tried to replicate Bill Belichick's success with the New England Patriots, as they went all-in on both a former Pats executive in Ziegler and an assistant coach when they hired Josh McDaniels to lead the charge.
The Raiders won just 14 games between the 2022 and 2023 seasons, and Ziegler didn't even make it to the end of that time after he was fired in mid-November 2023. Ziegler was a poor drafter, as no one from his 2022 class is still a Raider. Dylan Parham and Tre Tucker may have been his best picks, but Tyree Wilson and Michael Mayer have both been huge disappointments.
After blowing money on Jimmy Garoppolo, failing to win despite Davante Adams producing at a high level, and drafting terribly, Mark Davis was well within his rights to make a change. The Vikings may just be doing due diligence, but Ziegler's ability to charm ownership has helped him land premier job after premier job.
If the Vikings end up making this hire and fail to make some noise in the NFC North, they will have only themselves to blame. Any Raiders fan who would have asked about Ziegler could go chapter and verse about how he was unable to build a winning team despite a fair amount of resources.
Add us as a preferred source on Google