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Minnesota Vikings part ways with GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah after QB missteps and playoff failure
Minnesota Vikings owners Mark and Zygi Wilf didn’t like how the season ended, and they acted upon it. General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah is out after four years running the front office, a decision that says as much about impatience as it does about performance.
The timing feels a little odd. Minnesota extended Adofo-Mensah less than a year ago. Eight months later, and after a 9-8 season that saw them miss the postseason, he is gone.
Not long ago, Adofo-Mensah was viewed as one of the league’s brighter front-office minds in the NFL - a modern thinker with a fresh approach.
Pairing him with head coach Kevin O’Connell worked well, at least at first. The Vikings won games and reached the playoffs twice. Even when they stumbled, it felt like there was a vision.
This season chipped away at that feeling, and a pivotal choice at quarterback will likely haunt Adofo-Mensah.
The 48-year-old's decision to allow Sam Darnold to walk was always going to be judged harshly if things went sideways. So, when the former Vikings quarterback ended up leading the Seattle Seahawks to Super Bowl LX, it made the GM look worse.
Adofo-Mensah may have survived that call had Darnold’s chosen successor, J.J. McCarthy, worked out. Unfortunately for both men involved, McCarthy came up short - a point likely serving as the final nail in the coffin for the young GM, who had also failed to strike gold in recent drafts.
McCarthy improved toward the end of the season, but by then it was too late to save Minnesota’s year.
The Vikings aren’t rushing the next step. Executive vice president of football operations Rob Brzezinski will oversee football operations through the 2026 NFL Draft, steadying the ship while bigger decisions await. A wider search for Adofo-Mensah's permanent will likely come later.
For now, this feels more like a pause than a full reset. Nevertheless, it serves as a reminder that in this league, a promising portfolio only buys you a short window. Results matter, and you’re only as good as the last major decision that either leads to success or prevents you from achieving it.
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