NFL | The unchanged dream of Catherine Raîche

Met by the Vikings for the position of general manager, the Quebecer looks back on a hiring process full of positives

Catherine Raîche was one of eight candidates the Minnesota Vikings interviewed to fill the team’s general manager position in mid-January. Even if she was not hired in the end, the Quebecer is extremely satisfied with her experience and is delighted with the outcome, despite everything.

Raîche is still vice-president responsible for player personnel at the Philadelphia Eagles, but she does not hide it: she still dreams of becoming general manager of an NFL team.

This is the first time that the Quebecer has been involved in this kind of hiring process. An experience that she describes as fantastic and which made her think of the time when she was studying to pass her Bar exam.

“It’s the kind of experience where you prepare so much, but in the end, you’re only asked about 10% of what you had prepared. I knew their roster by heart, I knew all 10 offensive linemen, and I could have talked about each of them for 10 minutes. I was too prepared, but at the same time it’s part of my personality, I’m like that, “she explained during a meeting organized by Concordia University as part of the 25^and edition of the John Molson School of Business Sports Business Lectures.

Being among the eight candidates proved to her that she had a value and that the expertise she had accumulated since her debut with the Montreal Alouettes in 2015 was taken into consideration.

A great learning

NFL teams don’t do things by halves, and Raîche underlined how exemplary the professionalism of the Vikings was. Obviously, doing such an important interview by videoconference is a little destabilizing, even if everyone has been doing it for almost two years. The trained lawyer specifies that it is more difficult to be natural and that the interactions between the speakers are less fluid, of course.

The first round, in which she took part, lasted about two hours per candidate. Unfortunately, she didn’t make it to the second and final round, but she got great feedback from important members of the organization.

An excellent choice

The choice of the Vikings finally stopped on Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. Prior to his arrival in Minnesota, he served as vice president of football operations for the Cleveland Browns. Previously, he served as manager and director of research and development for the San Francisco 49ers from 2013 to 2019.

Obviously disappointed not to have been chosen, the Quebecer is still happy to see that the Vikings have decided to trust Adofo-Mensah. A candidate who, like her, had a somewhat atypical career, unlike the majority of the other general managers in the league.

“It’s wonderful for us and here I’m talking about those who haven’t had a traditional career, because his isn’t. He wasn’t a great recruiter like most other general managers,” Raîche said.

At 33, the former student of the University of Sherbrooke remains one of the most beautiful hopes and one of the most promising talents of the NFL. The last few weeks have given her confidence, but she is above all satisfied to see that women can have their chance. She hopes that her journey will continue to inspire other women in the very masculine world of football.

“The fact that I’m a girl has also always forced me to prepare well, so I avoid being prejudiced and I’m able to show everyone what I’m capable of. This is also the reason why I always arrive very confident in this kind of meeting. And the fact that I have also been asked can no doubt give hope to other women, ”she concluded.