Vikings Fire General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah After Missing Playoffs

We got a stunner! The Minnesota Vikings have fired general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah after four seasons, the team announced on Friday afternoon. Minnesota missed the playoffs this season at 9-8 and made the playoffs twice with Adofo-Mensah as its general manager (2022 and 2024). Head coach Kevin O’Connell was hired at the same time as Adofo-Mensah, with the Vikings 43-25 in the regular season and 0-2 in the postseason under the two since 2022. “Following our annual end-of-season organizational meetings over the last several weeks and after careful consideration, we have decided it is in the best interest of the team to move forward with new leadership of our football operations,” Owners Mark and Zygi Wilf said in a statement. “These decisions are never easy. We are grateful for Kwesi’s contributions and commitment to the organization over the past four years and wish him and his family the best in the future. “Effective immediately, Executive Vice President of Football Operations Rob Brzezinski will lead our operations through the 2026 NFL Draft. Rob brings tremendous credibility and experience, understands our roster and has the ability to build consensus and rely on the expertise of our personnel and coaches. After the draft, we intend to conduct a thorough search to identify our next general manager. Building a team that can contend for championships drives us every day, and we look forward to bringing our fans the success they so deserve.” Brzezinski has been in Minnesota’s front office since 1999, previously serving as director of football administration (1999-2000), vice president of football administration (2001-13) and executive vice president of football operations (2014-25). He was previously a staff counsel and salary cap manager for the Miami Dolphins from 1993-99. Prior to becoming Minnesota’s general manager in 2022, Adofo-Mensah was the Vice President of Football Operations for the Cleveland Browns from 2020-21 and worked in the San Francisco 49ers’ front office from 2013-19. Coming off a 14-3 season in 2024, the Vikings let quarterback Sam Darnold, who threw for a career-high 4,319 yards and 35 touchdowns in the regular season, leave in free agency after Minnesota lost its Week 18 road matchup against the Detroit Lions and its wild-card round matchup against the Los Angeles Rams. This was done with 2024 first-round pick J.J. McCarthy — who missed his rookie season due to a torn meniscus in his right knee — in line to become the team’s starting quarterback. Regarding this season, McCarthy started just 10 games due to ankle, head and hand injuries, totaling 1,632 passing yards, 11 passing touchdowns, 12 interceptions and a 72.6 passer rating, while completing 57.6% of his passes. He also rushed for 181 yards and four touchdowns. Meanwhile, Darnold signed a three-year, $100.5 million deal with the Seattle Seahawks last offseason. This season, he earned a Pro Bowl nod, while the Seahawks won the NFC and will now face the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LX on Feb. 8. As for this coming offseason, Minnesota is over the NFL salary cap.