Front offices across the NFL are rarely static in the days immediately after the draft, but the past 48 hours have seen senior figures in both Tennessee and Philadelphia announce that they will be stepping away.

The moves, involving Titans’ president of football operations Chad Brinker and Eagles assistant GM Alec Halaby, come with speculation about their desires to find upward mobility elsewhere in the league.

In Nashville, Brinker formally ended a rapid rise that saw him move from assistant GM in 2023 to overseeing the entire football structure a year later. In a statement, Brinker cited a desire ‘to return to what I love and move towards my next chapter’, framing the move as a shift back toward personnel work rather than a full exit from the league.

That phrasing has inevitably fuelled some reading between the lines, particularly as Brinker’s background — including 13 years with the Green Bay Packers followed by executive control in Tennessee — fits the profile of a candidate for a traditional general manager role, particularly after his remit in Nashville drifted toward broader organisational oversight.

A similar dynamic is also unfolding in Philadelphia, where long-time assistant GM Alec Halaby has stepped away after 17 years, following senior vice president Bryce Johnston having already departed for a prominent role with the Atlanta Falcons. Halaby’s exit, in particular, follows multiple interviews for GM vacancies in recent hiring cycles, with his path to the top job in Philly effectively blocked by the entrenched position of Howie Roseman.

Both Brinker and Halaby leave with résumés that place them firmly in the next hiring tier but whether either departure translates into a full GM appointment in the coming cycle remains to be seen. The NFL currently has a handful of GM positions carrying question marks, with perhaps the most immediate situation being at the New York Giants, where Joe Schoen is widely viewed as operating in a results-now window. Despite a well-received draft, three seasons of inconsistent returns have left his long-term future under scrutiny, with league reporting suggesting anything from a reset to an extension remains on the table depending on how 2026 unfolds.

Elsewhere, the pressure is less acute but still notable. Andrew Berry with the Cleveland Browns and Chris Ballard at the Indianapolis Colts both entered the year needing tangible progress to secure their positions, while the Minnesota Vikings are currently operating without a formal GM, with internal candidate Rob Brzezinski overseeing last weekend’s draft process following the dismissal of Kwesi Adofo-Mensah.

Owners Mark and Zygi Wilf confirmed that the Vikings have since begun their search for a new general manager, describing it as a ‘thorough and deliberate process’ led by ownership with support from a small internal advisory group. The franchise has also engaged search firm TurnkeyZRG to assist in identifying candidates, with the brief spanning experienced executives, emerging talent and individuals from diverse professional backgrounds. The Wilfs emphasised a desire to appoint ‘a decisive leader with a clear vision for team building, strong communication skills and the ability to build alignment across an organisation’, adding that no candidates will be announced publicly during the process, with further comment to only follow once the search is complete.