Vikings’ owner on Spielman: ‘We continue to have the utmost confidence in him as we work to assemble championship-caliber teams’

The Minnesota Vikings have signed General Manager Rick Spielman to a multi-year contract extension, the team announced on Monday. According to reports, and like head coach Mike Zimmer’s extension, it will run through the 2023 season.

Spielman originally joined the Vikings as Vice President of Player Personnel on May 30, 2006, and directed scouting, free agency, and draft preparations for the club before being hired as the team’s general manager on Jan. 3, 2012. Since taking over as general manager, the Vikings rank ninth in the NFL with a .570 winning percentage (72-54-2), which is fourth-best in the NFC over that eight-season span.

“We appreciate Rick’s work ethic, diligence, and commitment to the Vikings. We continue to have the utmost confidence in him as we work to assemble championship-caliber teams to reach our ultimate goal of winning a world championship.” Vikings Owner/Chairman Zygi Wilf said.

During the 2020 NFL Draft, Spielman turned 12 picks into a seven-round NFL-record 15 selections with two additional picks gained for the 2021 NFL Draft through trades. The Vikings 2020 class is the largest since the NFL condensed its annual draft to seven rounds in 1994. It also marked Minnesota’s first 15-member class since 1985, tying for the largest-overall draft class since 1976, when the team added 17 players over 17 rounds.

Spielman has assembled some talented rosters over the years. Just like with Zimmer’s extension, this is about Minnesota’s belief that Spielman can bring in the talent that is good enough to get the Vikings a championship. Now, we wait and see.