Minnesota Vikings fire Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and they aren’t in any rush to hire his replacement before the 2026 NFL Draft
The Minnesota Vikings fired general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, and aren’t in any hurry to replace him.
The Minnesota Vikings have made it official, firing general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah on Friday. This comes on the heels of the Vikings missing the playoffs juxtaposed with former quarterback Sam Darnold on his way to the Super Bowl.
In their official news release, the Vikings stated “we have decided it is in the best interest of the team to move forward with new leadership of our football operations. 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.”
The Vikings will move forward with an interim general manager in Rob Brzezinski, who serves as the team’s Executive Vice President – Football Operations.
Why firing Kwesi Adofo-Mensah was the right move
The writing was on the wall with Kwesi after the disastrous results from quarterback J.J. McCarthy. Additionally, the team hasn’t drafted well enough beyond just McCarthy for anyone in the front office to hang their hats on, and that will always come back to the general manager in charge.
Adofo-Mensah was also being supplanted in the building. It’s well-known that Brzezinski has handled cap duties and trades for years in the building, while head coach Kevin O’Connell has had offensive personnel control since he was hired. However, the rumor mill (one that was heavily reinforced by scouts while I was at the Shrine Bowl) suggested that defensive coordinator Brian Flores’s recent extension gave him defensive personnel control.
With all of these duties being taken away from him, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah did not have much power remaining in the building, if any at all. Thus, the Vikings parting ways with him was simply the best thing to happen for both sides.
Vikings aren’t in any hurry to replace Kwesi
Typically, every team tries to hire a new general manager before the NFL Draft so they have an aligned building, a new scouting structure, and a clear direction before they undertake the most significant aspect of building a roster.
However, the Vikings announced that they would not be hiring a general manager before the 2026 NFL Draft rolls around. Brzezinski will remain as the interim general manager, and the team will work to hire a full-time manager once the draft is over.
It’s hard to say how attractive a job this will be for many top general manager candidates if the rumors are true about how much power the coaches have in Minnesota, but the Vikings as an organization are an attractive job.
Now, the team looks to turn things around in the 2026 NFL Draft in the hopes of righting the ship offensively and pushing for the playoffs yet again under Kevin O’Connell.
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