A fast-rising member of the Broncos’ front office has drawn general manager interest from a familiar source.
The Minnesota Vikings interviewed Broncos assistant general manager Reed Burckhardt for their open general manager position Tuesday, a source with knowledge of the request confirmed to The Denver Post. It was a virtual interview, with the Broncos previously granting permission for Minnesota to interview Burckhardt, the source said.
It’s a notable but expected move by Minnesota, a franchise that fired previous general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah Jan. 30. Burckhardt, a Minnesota native who was promoted to Denver’s assistant general manager last offseason, begun his NFL career working his way up the totem pole for 13 seasons in Minnesota’s scouting department.
While in Minnesota, Burckhardt earned the steadfast trust of current Broncos general manager George Paton, who first brought him to Denver as the Broncos’ director of player personnel in 2022. Front-office executives who’ve crossed paths with Burckhardt have been highly complimentary of him as an ascending NFL name.
“I think Reed’s going to be a future general manager,” former Vikings GM Rick Spielman told The Post last year.
His first chance at landing a GM job came with Minnesota’s interview, as the Vikings are turning to both fresh and old ties in their general manager search. Minnesota also had definite internal interest in bringing Paton back as their GM, a league source with knowledge of the situation told The Post last week.
The Broncos, though, worked quickly post-draft to ink Paton to a new five-year contract.
“I’m super excited for him,” head coach Sean Payton said of Paton’s new deal, at last weekend’s rookie minicamp. “And I said that to you guys at the combine — it was just a matter of time. And we think alike, in a lot of cases.”
If Minnesota winds up landing on Burckhardt, Paton would have to find a new right-hand man for the third time in less than two years. The New York Jets hired former Broncos assistant GM Darren Mougey as their general manager in January 2025.
