Pete Najarian is a name that resonates with Minnesotans either because of football or finance, or both. His has long been an intriguing story and remains so at age 61 with his ongoing zest for life and curiosity for problem solving.
Pete, the son of famed heart pioneer John Najarian who taught at the University of Minnesota and earlier was a football player at Cal, demonstrated his pedigree for football at Minneapolis Central High School and for the Golden Gophers. At the U, playing linebacker from 1982-1985, Pete set a school career record for tackles, made All-Big Ten and captained the team his final season. Three times he was the defense’s MVP and made Academic All-Big Ten.
After college Najarian was mostly a reserve linebacker for two seasons with the Vikings and then finished his NFL career playing a year with the Bucs. Post football he skyrocketed to fame as an options trader, financial markets analyst and TV personality.
During his journey of more than 30 years he’s never lost his lust for football. He worked as a TV analyst on ESPN college football telecasts and stayed in touch with friends who are involved with the game. He’s also followed the Gophers, Vikings and Bucs with passion each year.
The energetic and personable Najarian, known for his trademark goatee, has an itch to get back into the game he loves. He shared with Sports Headliners that “under the right circumstances” he would consider a role with a pro or college team. The right fit could have him leaving the world of investment full-time or possibly part-time.
About a year ago, Najarian reached out to someone with the Vikings about a role with his hometown team. Najarian suggested he wasn’t sure if the team was on the right path and that he would love to be another voice in the room. “I think that it’s pretty clear that a lot of the decisions just haven’t been quite right,” he told Sports Headliners. “That’s where I kind of stand, I guess.”
Najarian won’t say who he spoke to with the Vikings but obviously the organization didn’t say “come on aboard.” Yet Najarian, who is a fulltime Minnesota resident now after his and his wife’s Southwest Florida residence was completely destroyed by hurricanes, remains confident about his ability to help the Vikings.
The Vikings, 5-8, are going through a disappointing season. Although the team was 14-3 last season, this is the second time in two years it appears the club will finish the year with under a. 500 record and not make the playoffs.
Najarian is confident he could help with roster building. “I think that I am pretty good at figuring out who are the players that best suit a team. So, I’d love to be like some form of an assistant…or something within that field because I just think that we aren’t really making the kind of choices that we should be making. I think it speaks volumes how many (few) players are still on the team that we’ve drafted over the last few years. Or signed as free agents as well.”
General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s four college drafts have produced three 2025 starters on offense. None on defense. His regime has had more success with free agents but there have been disappointments there too, including on the defensive and offensive lines.
The NFL is a league of parity, with teams sometimes having a razor’s edge advantage over opponents. Najarian questions whether the Vikings have adequately kept up with the NFL trend of successfully running the football, with offenses in need of a productive running game and defenses needing to stop the run.
He spotted that trend awhile ago and believes the need to be on top of what’s happening in the sport is another contribution he could make to the Vikings or Bucs front offices. Najarian said it’s about “where the game is going, not where the game was.”
The Vikings defense isn’t what it was last year and Najarian thinks he knows why. The defense has found itself giving up more rushing yards and that creates more opportunities for opponents to have success passing. “It’s really that simple, to be honest with you,” he said.
Part of the issue is the Vikings, per Najarian, aren’t big enough at the linebacker position. Instead, they bring up a defensive back for run support. Najarian believes “we don’t seem to be a team that goes with bigger players.”
Najarian thinks the Vikings are too often missing the best players and fits in the draft. “I am not saying this as a guy who is looking in the rear-view mirror. I am saying this because I said that at the time.”
He would, for example, have loved seeing the Vikings find a player in recent drafts like 6-5, 246-pound Lions linebacker Jack Campbell in the NFL Draft. Najarian was high a few years ago on the former Iowa player who made NFL All-Rookie in 2023.
Finding the right personnel, he insists, can be a challenge but other times it’s so evident to him that it’s an easy choice.
When Najarian says that he’s not ego tripping or suggesting he has all the answers whether it comes to personnel, operational procedures, trends or philosophies. In fact, he acknowledged the best outcomes often come from not one person but rather “a pretty decent size group.”
Najarian would clearly be intrigued about being a voice in the Vikings organization. “I love the sport. I think it’s a lot of fun. I don’t think it’s as complicated as a lot of the time I hear people talk about. It still comes down to (this): are you approaching things the right way at the right time?”
Regarding beleaguered quarterback J.J.McCarthy, Najarain doesn’t think Vikings fans are approaching things the right way. He sees an inexperienced 22-year-old in his first NFL season not having the protection and support needed by an offensive line that because of injuries has seldom been together.
McCarthy has been frequently sacked and pressured all season. His spotty performance has made him a target of boos and concerns he isn’t talented enough to become the franchise quarterback.
Najarian counters that it’s pretty simple with the McCarthy situation. Give him more line support and time to mature. “I think this is a really good player who has an incredible amount of grit within him and he just needs an offensive line that gives him a little bit of time. …”
While Najarian contemplates making a contribution with a pro organization like the Vikings, he is also considering a role in college football. He attended more college games this fall than at any time in several previous years and he’s intrigued about the development of general managers in the sport. Former pro footballers Ron Rivera at Cal and Andrew Luck at Stanford are examples of general managers at those schools. The Gophers have had Geritt Chernoff in place for years on coach P.J. Fleck’s staff.
Najarian has had conversations with college programs. He and wife Lisa would be willing to relocate from Minnesota. “If it’s the right place at the right time I would do it,” he said.
Whether it’s a divorce from the investment world and marriage with a new football career, or a part time gig even as a consultant, the wheels are turning with Najarian. Having mastered one career, he is confident about another.
“I am an out of the box thinker. And I look at certain things and I watch games and I see things a little bit differently than others.”
When it comes to football, “the juices are going again” for Najarian who years ago was interested in becoming athletic director at the U.
“So, pretty excited about the possibilities that are out there but it’s still early,” he said.