Big news out of Minnesota: the Vikings have dismissed general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah after four seasons, the team said Friday.
Minnesota missed the playoffs this year with a 9-8 mark, though Adofo-Mensah helped the franchise reach the postseason twice (2022 and 2024). He and head coach Kevin O’Connell — who were hired around the same time — compiled a 43-25 regular-season record and went 0-2 in the playoffs while working together.
Owners Mark and Sigi Wilf said that after their end-of-season organizational review they decided the team would benefit from new leadership in football operations. They thanked Adofo-Mensah for his work and wished him and his family well. In the interim, long-time front-office executive Rob Brzezinski will run football operations through the 2026 NFL Draft; the team plans a comprehensive search for the next general manager after the draft.
Brzezinski has been with the Vikings’ front office since 1999, serving in roles including director and vice president of football administration and executive vice president of football operations. Before Minnesota, he worked as a staff advisor and salary-cap manager for the Miami Dolphins (1993–99). Adofo-Mensah had been Cleveland’s vice president of football operations (2020–21) and spent several years in the San Francisco 49ers’ front office (2013–19) before taking the Vikings’ GM job in 2022.
The team’s quarterback situation has been a storyline: the report notes Minnesota finished 14-3 in 2024 and allowed veteran Sam Darnold to leave in free agency — after a season in which he reportedly threw for 4,319 yards and 35 TDs — following losses at Detroit in Week 18 and to the Rams in the wild-card round. The Vikings moved forward with 2024 first-round pick JJ McCarthy as their starter; McCarthy missed his rookie year with a torn meniscus and, this season, started just 10 games due to ankle, head and hand injuries. He completed 57.6% of his passes for 1,632 yards with 11 TDs, 12 interceptions and a 72.6 passer rating, adding 181 rushing yards and four rushing TDs.
Meanwhile, Darnold reportedly signed a three-year, $150 million deal with the Seattle Seahawks last offseason, earned a Pro Bowl nod, and the Seahawks won the NFC and will face the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LX on Feb. 8. The Vikings enter the offseason over the NFL salary cap.
Fan take: This firing matters because a new general manager will shape Minnesota’s roster construction, draft priorities and how long Kevin O’Connell’s regime remains intact — all of which directly affect the team’s short- and long-term competitiveness. For the league, front-office shakeups like this can trigger roster moves and strategic shifts across teams as personnel dominoes fall and cap space is re-evaluated.
