In a surprising move, the Vikings have fired general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports. Adofo-Mensah, 44, had been the Vikings’ GM since 2022.
As a part of their official statement, the Vikings said: “Following our annual end-of-season organizational meetings during the last several weeks and after careful consideration, now we have decided it’s in the very best interest of the team to maneuver forward with recent leadership of our football operations. These decisions are never easy. We’re grateful for Kwesi’s contributions and commitment to the organization over the past 4 years and want him and his family the very best in the longer term.”
Executive vice chairman Rob Brzezinski will take over for Adofo-Mensah on an interim basis, the team announced. Brzezinski will lead the front office through April’s draft, however the Vikings “intend to conduct a radical search” for his or her next GM after that.
The Vikings’ decision to chop ties with Adofo-Mensah comes lower than a yr after they locked him as much as a contract extension last May. The deal prevented Adofo-Mensah from entering 2025 as a lame duck, however the team will now go in one other direction after ending 9-8 and missing the playoffs.
There was “tension” within the Vikings’ constructing leading as much as Adofo-Mensah’s firing, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, who hears that it had been “ugly” throughout the season. Jordan Schultz relays similar information, writing “there have been relationship issues” at Vikings headquarters.
The Vikings brought in Adofo-Mensah after he divided 2013-21 between San Francisco and Cleveland. He impressed enough over two seasons because the Browns’ vice chairman of football operations to earn a promotion in Minnesota. With the hiring of head coach Kevin O’Connell three weeks later, Adofo-Mensah checked off his first key task atop the Vikings’ front office. The well-regarded O’Connell stays in place 4 years later, but he’ll pair with Brzezinski for now before potentially teaming up with a special GM.
The Adofo-Mensah/O’Connell tandem helped the Vikings to a 13-4 mark and an NFC North title of their first season together, though the team suffered a wild-card round upset against the Giants. The Vikings dropped to 7-10 in 2023, after which they allowed longtime starting quarterback Kirk Cousins to walk in free agency.
With Cousins heading to Atlanta on a large contract value as much as $180MM over 4 years, the Vikings brought in veteran Sam Darnold on a one-year, $10MM pact after which used the tenth pick within the draft on former Michigan signal-caller J.J. McCarthy.
Adofo-Mensah traded up a spot for McCarthy, who went on to miss his entire rookie season with a torn meniscus. That didn’t faze Minnesota, where Darnold enjoyed a long-awaited breakout campaign six years after the Jets drafted him third overall. The Vikings posted an amazing 14-3 record en route to a different playoff berth, but they once more lost within the wild-card round.
A pair months after a rough showing in a blowout against the Rams, Darnold signed with the Seahawks on a three-year, $100.5MM deal. The Vikings made an identical offer, and in addition they tried to re-sign veteran passer Daniel Jones after he ended 2024 of their uniform, but they struck out in each instances. Jones saw a clearer path to playing time in Indianapolis, where he went on to revive his profession before tearing his Achilles in early December.
Meanwhile, a Darnold-quarterbacked team finished 14-3 for the second yr in a row. The Seahawks are actually preparing to face the Patriots in Super Bowl LX after Darnold’s 346-yard, three-touchdown performance in a 31-27 conquer the Rams within the NFC title game.
After Darnold and Jones slipped through their fingers last March, a season of subpar quarterback play was likely the fundamental perpetrator within the Vikings’ disappointing 2025. Adofo-Mensah’s big bet on McCarthy hasn’t paid off up to now.
McCarthy battled multiple injuries in his first yr on the helm, leading him to miss seven games, and was statistically among the many league’s worst QBs when healthy. Journeyman backup Carson Wentz, who was a mixed bag filling in for McCarthy early within the yr, required season-ending shoulder surgery in October.
Wentz’s injury left undrafted rookie Max Brosmer as McCarthy’s backup for the remainder of the yr. Brosmer was dreadful over eight appearances and two starts, including a four-interception outing in a 26-0 loss to Darnold’s Seahawks in Week 13.
Shortly after the Vikings’ campaign ended, Adofo-Mensah and O’Connell indicated they’d usher in competition for McCarthy this offseason. It’s not clear how aggressive Adofo-Mensah would have been, but that call is now out of his hands.
While the Vikings’ lackluster QB performance this season likely contributed to Adofo-Mensah’s ouster, a poor track record within the draft also didn’t help his cause. As Kevin Seifert of ESPN points out, players the Vikings drafted from 2022-25 have only made 172 starts – the second-lowest total within the league during that span. To make matters worse, Adofo-Mensah’s drafts haven’t produced any Pro Bowlers. With Adofo-Mensah suddenly out of the organization, the Vikings will hope for higher results from their Brzezinski-led front office this April.