Ryan Richard Grigson (born February 23, 1972) is an

American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...

executive who is the assistant general manager of the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. The Vikings compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. Founded in 1960 as ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). From 2012 to 2016, he served as the

general manager A general manager (GM) is an executive who has overall responsibility for managing both the revenue and cost elements of a company's income statement, known as profit & loss (P&L) responsibility. A general manager usually oversees most or all of ...

of the

Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. Since the 2008 India ...

. Grigson played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

as a

tight end The tight end (TE) is an offense (sports), offensive position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football. It is a hybrid that combines the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a receiver (football), receiv ...

and

offensive tackle Offensive may refer to: * Offensive (military), type of military operation * Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative * Fighting words, spoken words which would have a tendency to cause acts of violence by the ...

for the

Purdue Boilermakers The Purdue Boilermakers are the official college athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletics teams representing Purdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana. As is common with athletic nicknames, the Boilermakers nickname ...

and was drafted by the

Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its h ...

in the sixth round of the

1995 NFL draft The 1995 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 22–23, 1995 at the Paramount ...

. He was a member of the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. The team plays their home game ...

from

1995 1995 was designated as: * United Nations Year for Tolerance * World Year of Peoples' Commemoration of the Victims of the Second World War This was the first year that the Internet was entirely privatized, with the United States government ...

1996 1996 was designated as: * International Year for the Eradication of Poverty Events January * January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...

, and played for the

Toronto Argonauts The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team based in Toronto, Ontario. The Argonauts compete in the East Division (CFL), East Division of t ...

of the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division (CFL), East Division and f ...

1997 Events January * January 1 – The Emergency Alert System is introduced in the United States. * January 11 – Turkey threatens Cyprus on account of a deal to buy Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the Cypriot Missile Crisis. * January 1 ...

before he retired due to a back injury. Grigson was a pro scout for the

Saskatchewan Roughriders The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a professional Canadian football team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. The Roughriders compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division. The Roughriders were founded in 19 ...

and an assistant coach for

McPherson College McPherson College is a private college associated with the Church of the Brethren and located in McPherson, Kansas, United States. It was chartered in 1887 and is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. History During their 1887 annual m ...

in 1998. In

1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...

, he was a player personnel coordinator and assistant coach for the Buffalo Destroyers of the

Arena Football League The Arena Football League (AFL) was a professional arena football league in the United States. It was founded in 1986, but played its first official games in the 1987 Arena Football League season, 1987 season, making it the third longest-runnin ...

. From

2003 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...

, Grigson was a national and regional scout for the St. Louis Rams. He was hired by the Eagles as a western regional scout in

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

, and was promoted to director of college scouting in

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

. He was promoted to director of player personnel in

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

. He also has worked with the Seattle Seahawks and

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...

Playing career

College

Grigson signed his letter of intent to play

for the

in 1990, where he would play from 1990 to 1994. On October 10, 1992, in a game against

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

, Grigson was hit in the abdomen by a defender and sustained a life-threatening injury. He was hospitalized immediately after and the blow resulted in pancreatitis, kidney failure and pneumonia. He missed the rest of the season, likely to never play again, after becoming a starter during his sophomore year. Grigson returned for the 1993 season, started ten games and was named one of three captains, along with Mike Alstott and Matt Kingsbury, for the 1994 season (Purdue's first winning season in a decade).

Professional

Grigson was drafted by the

in the sixth round (175th overall) of the

. He was signed to a contract by the Bengals on June 10, 1995, but was waived during final cuts on August 28. He was signed by the

shortly thereafter and spent the 1995 season with the team. He was released by the Lions on August 14, 1996. He played for the

of the

before he suffered a career-ending back injury and was forced to retire.

Executive and coaching career

Saskatchewan Roughriders

Following his retirement from playing, Grigson became a pro scout for the

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...

. In the same year, he was an assistant coach for

's football team. In

, he was a player personnel coordinator and assistant coach for the Buffalo Destroyers of the

St. Louis Rams

Grigson was hired by the St. Louis Rams as a national scout in

. He was part of the Rams'

Super Bowl XXXIV Super Bowl XXXIV was an American football game played at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia, on January 30, 2000, to determine the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 1999 season. The National Football Conference (NFC) champion ...

championship team in 1999 and the Rams' NFC Championship/ Super Bowl XXXVI team in 2001 as an area scout.

Philadelphia Eagles

On May 15, 2004, Grigson was hired by the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...

as a western regional scout. He was a part of the Eagles' NFC Championship/

Super Bowl XXXIX Super Bowl XXXIX was an American football game played between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion New England Patriots and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Philadelphia Eagles to decide the National Football League (NF ...

team in 2004. On June 8, 2006, he was promoted to director of college scouting, and on February 3, 2010, he was promoted to director of player personnel.

Indianapolis Colts

Grigson was hired by the

as their

on January 11, 2012. Team owner Jim Irsay said at the time, "I picked Ryan because I felt that he had a vision, that he had an intelligence, that he had a depth of perception and awareness and that he was capable of taking it up to the next level." Grigson inherited a 2–14 team under head coach Jim Caldwell. Shortly after assuming his new role, Grigson fired Caldwell and, two weeks later, hired Chuck Pagano as the team's new head coach.

2012 Season

In the 2012 NFL draft, the Colts made ten selections, including first overall. Grigson selected Andrew Luck (1), followed by Coby Fleener (34), Dwayne Allen (64), T. Y. Hilton (92), Josh Chapman (136), Vick Ballard (170),

LaVon Brazill LaVon Brazill (born March 15, 1989) is an American former professional gridiron football, football player who was a wide receiver for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Ohio Bobcats ...

(206), Justin Anderson (208), Tim Fugger (214), and Chandler Harnish (253, " Mr. Irrelevant"). After the 2012 season, which put the Colts back in the

NFL playoffs The National Football League (NFL) playoffs is the annual single-elimination tournament held to determine the National Football League, league champion. The four-round tournament is held after the league's regular season. Since the 2020 NFL seaso ...

with an 11–5 record, the nine-win improvement from the previous year tied the third-largest improvement in league history. Thanks to this turnaround, which included changing 70% of the roster, Grigson earned Executive of the Year honors from ''

The Sporting News ''The Sporting News'' is a website and former magazine publication owned by Sporting News Holdings, which is a U.S.-based sports media company formed in December 2020 by a private investor consortium. It was originally established in 1886 as a ...

'' and ''

Pro Football Weekly ''Pro Football Weekly'' (sometimes shortened to ''PFW'') is an American sports magazine, founded in 1967, and website that covers the National Football League (NFL). It was owned by Pro Football Weekly LLC and headquartered in Riverwoods, Illin ...

''. He also won the 2013 Drew Brees Mental Toughness Award from the Northwest Indiana Chapter of the National Football Foundation.

2013 Season

In the

2013 NFL draft The 2013 NFL draft was the 78th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft, which is officially called the "NFL Player Selection Meeting", was held at Radio City Music Hall in ...

, the Colts made seven selections. Grigson selected Bjoern Werner (24), followed by Hugh Thornton (86), Khaled Holmes (121), Montori Hughes (139), John Boyett (192), Kerwynn Wiliams (230), and Justice Cunningham (254). On September 18, 2013, Grigson traded a

2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

first-round draft pick for Trent Richardson. The Colts were looking for a

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offense ...

after a season-ending injury to Vick Ballard. Richardson was released following the 2014 NFL season. The Colts were 6–0 in the

AFC South The American Football Conference – Southern Division or AFC South is one of the four Division (sport), divisions of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL). It was created before the 2002 NFL season, 200 ...

, earning first place in the division.

2014 Season

In the 2014 NFL draft, the Colts made five selections. Grigson selected Jack Mewhort (59), Donte Moncrief (90), Jonathan Newsome (166),

Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before Presidency of Andrew Jackson, his presidency, he rose to fame as a general in the U.S. Army and served in both houses ...

(203), and Ulrick John (232). On January 11, 2015—Grigson's third anniversary with the team—the

beat the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West, West division. The team is headquartered in E ...

to qualify for the

AFC Championship The AFC Championship Game is the annual championship game of the American Football Conference (AFC) and one of the two semifinal playoff games of the National Football League (NFL), the largest professional American football league in the wo ...

game, only the fifth time since the Colts arrived in Indianapolis in 1984. During the AFC championship against the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...

, Grigson asked NFL officials to check the air pressure in the Patriots' footballs, which set in motion the " Deflategate" scandal. The Colts lost the game 45–7. The Colts were 6–0 in the AFC South, earning first place in the division.

2015 Season

In the

2015 NFL draft The 2015 NFL draft was the 80th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football, football players. It took place in Chicago at the Auditorium Theatre and in Grant Park (Chicago), Grant Park ...

, the Colts made eight selections. Grigson selected Phillip Dorsett (29), followed by D'Joun Smith (65), Henry Anderson (93), Clayton Geathers (109), David Parry (151), Josh Robinson (205), Amarlo Herrera (207), and Denzell Goode (255). The Colts, who struggled with injuries including one to quarterback Andrew Luck, stumbled in the 2015 season and finished 8-8 and out of the playoffs. The 2015 Colts set the NFL record for the longest winning streak against any division in the league with their 16th consecutive victory over an

opponent when they defeated the

Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team plays its home games at N ...

during week 5. The record surpassed the previous mark of 15, recorded by the

Super Bowl The Super Bowl is the annual History of the NFL championship, league championship game of the National Football League (NFL) of the United States. It has served as the final game of every NFL season since 1966 NFL season, 1966 (with the excep ...

champion

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Dolphins compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team ...

against the

AFC East The American Football Conference – Eastern Division or AFC East is one of the four Division (sport), divisions of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL). There are currently four teams that reside in th ...

during the perfect season of 1972 and into the following season.

2016 Season

On January 4, 2016, the Colts announced that Grigson and head coach Chuck Pagano had both received contract extensions through the 2019 season. In the

2016 NFL draft The 2016 NFL draft was the 81st annual draft of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. As in 2015, the draft took place at the Auditorium Theatre and Grant Park in Chicago. The draft beg ...

, the Colts made eight selections. Grigson selected Ryan Kelly (18), followed by T. J. Green (57),

Le'Raven Clark Le'Raven Clark (born April 22, 1993) is an American professional American football, football offensive tackle for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Texas Tech Red Raiders football, ...

(82), Hassan Ridgeway (116), Antonio Morrison (125), Joe Haeg (155), Trevor Bates (239), and Austin Blythe (248). On January 21, 2017, Grigson was relieved of his duties as general manager. The Colts failed to make the playoffs in the two consecutive seasons leading up to his firing, the first time the team had missed the playoffs in consecutive years since the 1997–98 seasons. One move that made many question Grigson was the infamous Trent Richardson deal that cost the Colts a first round draft pick. While at the time the move was applauded by many football pundits and fans, the trade ultimately didn't work out. Richardson ended up averaging only 3.1 yards per carry and scoring only 6 touchdowns in 2 seasons with the team and was a healthy scratch during the AFC Championship game in 2015. Another questionable move was the drafting of Phillip Dorsett in the 1st round of the 2015 NFL draft, while the Colts offensive line was struggling to protect their franchise quarterback, and their defense was coming off a poor season. However, a trade that worked out well for Grigson and the Colts was the acquisition of former first round draft pick Vontae Davis in 2012 who was a big part of the 2012 turnaround and was later named to the

Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (since 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's All-star, star players. The format has changed ...

in both 2014 and 2015. Another move by Grigson was the trade for the draft choice and subsequent selection of T. Y. Hilton in the 2012 NFL draft, as he would become a three-time Pro Bowl selection and the NFL's leading receiver in 2016. Overall, the Colts had a regular season record of 49-31 (.613 winning percentage) while Grigson was general manager.

Cleveland Browns (first stint)

On May 24, 2017, Grigson was hired as the senior personnel executive for the

. In January 2018, the Browns announced that he was no longer part of the team's front office personnel.

Seattle Seahawks

On June 13, 2018, Grigson was hired as a senior football consultant for the

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The club entered the NFL a ...

, and stayed with the team through the 2019 NFL season.

Cleveland Browns (second stint)

Grigson was hired by the

in an advisory and consulting role in February 2020. The deal was made official on May 29, 2020.

Minnesota Vikings

On June 12, 2022, the

named Grigson as their senior vice president of player personnel. On May 29, 2025, he was promoted to assistant general manager.

Personal life

Ryan Richard Grigson was born to Jeff and Juanita (Rokita) Grigson in 1972. Jeff (d.1980) played football at

Northwest Missouri State University Northwest Missouri State University (NW Missouri) is a public university in Maryville, Missouri, United States. It has an enrollment of 9,152 students. Founded in 1905 as a teachers college, its campus is based on the design for Forest Park (St. ...

. Grigson attended Our Lady of Grace Catholic School from 1978 to 1986. He played high school football at Highland Senior High from 1986 to 1990. As a sophomore, he was a member of the Trojan team that played in the 1987 5A State Championship game at the Colts' original stadium, the Hoosier Dome ( RCA Dome). Grigson met his wife, Cynthia, while the two were students at Purdue University. The couple married in 2001 and have six children.

References

External links

Indianapolis Colts bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Grigson, Ryan 1972 births Living people American football offensive tackles American football tight ends Cincinnati Bengals players Detroit Lions players Indianapolis Colts executives Philadelphia Eagles executives Minnesota Vikings executives Purdue Boilermakers football players St. Louis Rams scouts Toronto Argonauts players People from Highland, Lake County, Indiana Players of American football from Indiana NFL general managers Saskatchewan Roughriders personnel McPherson Bulldogs football coaches Arena Football League executives