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News | Minnesota Vikings – vikings.com

Rick Spielman Signs Multi-Year Contract Extension with Vikings

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EAGAN, Minn. — The Vikings and General Manager Rick Spielman have agreed to a multi-year contract extension, the team announced Monday morning.

Spielman's extension cements the continuity within the organization, as Vikings Head Coach Mike Zimmer signed his own multi-year extension July 24.

In the six seasons that Spielman and Zimmer have worked in partnership, the Vikings have gone 57-38-1, winning a pair of NFC North titles. Minnesota has also recorded three separate double-digit-win seasons. The Vikings made the postseason in each of those years (2015, 2017 and 2019).

The 2020 season is Spielman's 15th in Minnesota and ninth as GM. The Vikings have gone 117-105-2 since Spielman joined the organization back in 2006.

"Rick has been outstanding in his role as Vikings general manager," Vikings Owner/President Mark Wilf said. "We are excited and honored to have him continue to lead our efforts to build a championship roster and first-class organization. With Rick's and Coach Zimmer's leadership in place, we are in a great position to continue to compete for a Super Bowl."

Spielman was named 2017 NFL Executive of the Year by Pro Football Weekly after the Vikings went 13-3, won the division and advanced to the NFC Championship.

Spielman has crafted one of the more talented rosters around the league, as he has drafted the likes of Kyle Rudolph, Harrison Smith, Anthony Barr, Eric Kendricks, Danielle Hunter, Dalvin Cook and Brian O'Neill over the past decade.

Since 2012, Spielman has made more draft picks (93) than any other GM in the NFL. Of those selections, 56 have resulted from trades, and 13 have involved first-round selections.

Spielman has been adept in free agency, too, helping bring free agents such as Kirk Cousins, Riley Reiff, Dan Bailey and Britton Colquitt to Minnesota in recent years.

Cousins' 103.0 passer rating since signing with the Vikings in 2018 trails only Patrick Mahomes (110.0) among all QBs with at least 1,000 attempts in that span.

View photos of the Vikings 53-man roster as of January 4, 2021.

He has also developed a scouting department that has an eye for finding hidden talent, as he works closely with Assistant General Manager and Vice President of Player Personnel George Paton and Vikings Executive Vice President of Football Operations Rob Brzezinski.

Under Spielman's watch, the Vikings have added undrafted free agents such as Adam Thielen, C.J. Ham, Anthony Harris and Eric Wilson. Thielen and Ham were Pro Bowlers in recent years, and there's an argument than Harris should have been one in 2019.

"We appreciate Rick's work ethic, diligence and commitment to the Vikings," Owner/Chairman Zygi Wilf said. "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."

Spielman joined the Vikings as Vice President of Player Personnel on May 30, 2006. He led scouting, free agency and draft preparations for the club for five-plus seasons before officially being named General Manager in 2012.

Spielman navigated a draft unlike any other in April, as the annual event went virtual due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite ever-changing circumstances, Spielman and his staff produced a whooping 15-person draft class, a total that broke a seven-round draft record that had previously been shared by the Browns in 2016 and the Dolphins in 1997.

View photos of the Vikings 2020 coaching staff.

And while Spielman is known for saying draft classes can't be judged until three years down the line, experts and pundits lauded his work this spring.

Spielman and his family have also engrained themselves in the Twin Cities community since arriving in 2006.

He and his wife, Michele, have six adopted children — Juan, Luis, Ronnie, J.D., Omie and Whitney.

Spielman and Brzezinski have co-hosted the Vikings annual Adoption Family Fun Fest. The Ohio native's strong support of Special Olympics Minnesota has included participation in the Polar Plunge fundraiser and encouragement for the Vikings Special Olympics Unified Flag Football Team that traveled to Los Angeles for a game against the Chargers squad in December.

Spielman signed the players and coaches to contracts back in October when the team began practicing at Twin Cities Orthopedics Performance Center.

Spielman is also on the Vikings Social Justice Committee, which was created in 2018.

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