EAGAN, Minnesota — The Minnesota Vikings continued their shift toward an analytics-driven front office Monday, hiring Demitrius Washington to the newly created position of vice president of football operations.
Washington worked for seven seasons in the San Francisco 49ers‘ research and development department, five of which he spent alongside current Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. He has a master’s degree in business administration with an emphasis in finance and analytics from the University of Missouri.
During the 2020-21 season, he was assigned to improve the 49ers’ optimization and process, and develop statistical analysis for player evaluation, acquisition and strategy.
“[Washington] is one of the most uniquely gifted people I have met in my time in the NFL,” Adofo-Mensah said in a statement. “He is able to learn complex ideas, make them simple, and apply them in all facets of the organization. He has learned from some of the best minds in the game today and he will continue to flourish in his role with Vikings.”
Adofo-Mensah, who has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in economics, started his career as a commodities trader before joining the 49ers in 2013. He made a league-high six trades during the 2022 NFL draft, including two with division opponents, an early sign of the analytics process he is implementing in Minnesota.