Report: Browns likely to hire Vikings executive George Paton as GM

The Cleveland Browns are zeroing in on their new general manager.

According to Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com, the Browns could hire Minnesota Vikings assistant general manager George Paton early this week. Paton interviewed with the team Saturday and it went well, and an official announcement is expected within days.

Paton would beat out Eagles vice president Andrew Berry and Patriots director of college scouting Monti Ossenfort for the position.

Of the candidates, Paton has the closest ties with new Browns coach Kevin Stefanski. The two spent 13 years together within the Vikings organization, and the Browns made it a point to hire a GM that would work closely with the new coach as a package deal.

The league just watched the GM-coach model work successfully with John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan in San Francisco, and the Browns will be hoping that history repeats itself. Interestingly, the Browns opted against hiring someone from the 49ers organization in their coaching search.