As the Minnesota Vikings head into yet another offseason of uncertainty, the decision to part ways with general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah just three months before the NFL Draft signals more than just a change in leadership - it’s a reset at the top, with major implications for the team’s direction both on and off the field.
Adofo-Mensah’s final moments in the role, watching rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy’s debut from the Soldier Field press box, seemed to encapsulate the tension that’s been building throughout the season.
Even as McCarthy engineered a fourth-quarter comeback, Adofo-Mensah’s demeanor never shifted. And maybe that said it all.
At the time, he couldn’t have known Sam Darnold - the quarterback Minnesota declined to franchise tag - would lead the Seattle Seahawks to the Super Bowl. Nor could he have predicted that a highly touted free-agent class featuring names like Javon Hargrave and Will Fries would underdeliver. But what was clear by December was that the Vikings were 4-8, out of the playoff picture, and staring down a season that didn’t come close to matching the $350 million ownership had committed to the roster - the highest figure in the league.
In that context, the decision to move on from Adofo-Mensah becomes less surprising. The Vikings have gotten just 172 starts from players drafted between 2022 and 2025 - the second-fewest in the NFL during that span. And while McCarthy may be the future, the team hasn’t even committed to him as the starter for next season.
So the question isn’t “why” anymore. It’s “what now?”
Firing a general manager while retaining the head coach - in this case, Kevin O’Connell - always creates a strange dynamic. Will the next GM want to keep O’Connell?
Will O’Connell have a say in personnel decisions during the interim? And how does this impact the current roster, many of whom were brought in to fit a very specific system?
For now, the front office reins are in the hands of executive vice president Rob Brzezinski, a long-tenured figure in Minnesota’s organization. Brzezinski has been with the Vikings since 1999 and is best known for his expertise in managing the salary cap. But with the draft looming, the question becomes: who’s actually making the football decisions?
Will it be Brzezinski, who’s not traditionally involved in scouting? Will it be O’Connell, who’s still under contract but not guaranteed to be retained by the next GM? Or could it be Ryan Grigson, the senior VP of player personnel and former Colts GM, who had been a key advisor to Adofo-Mensah during previous drafts?
Grigson brings experience but a mixed track record. He was the architect of the Colts team that drafted Andrew Luck first overall in 2012, but he struggled to build a sustainable contender around his star quarterback. Luck retired at just 29, citing the cumulative toll of injuries - a cautionary tale about roster construction and long-term planning.
O’Connell, on the other hand, has shown he can get results with the right quarterback. He helped Kirk Cousins thrive and identified Darnold as a capable bridge to McCarthy.
The problem? Darnold played well enough to earn another shot, but Minnesota let him walk - a decision that now stings with Darnold leading Seattle to the Super Bowl and McCarthy still finding his footing.
That quarterback transition is emblematic of a larger issue: roster fit. The Vikings have cycled through defensive philosophies in recent years, and the results have been uneven. The team moved on from Ed Donatell after his defense faltered in O’Connell’s first season, but the players drafted for his scheme - including Lewis Cine, Andrew Booth, and Brian Asamoah - haven’t translated well to Brian Flores’ aggressive, blitz-heavy system.
Donatell’s defense was rooted in the Vic Fangio model - zone-heavy, with a focus on keeping eyes on the quarterback and generating pressure with the front four. Flores, by contrast, thrives on chaos - disguising blitzes, bringing pressure from all angles, and demanding versatility from his defenders. Players who were drafted for one system simply haven’t fit the other.
The same risk looms on offense. If the new GM decides to move on from O’Connell - whose scheme is built off the Sean McVay playbook - the team could find itself with a roster full of players who don’t match the next coach’s vision. And if Flores departs for a head coaching job, the defense could be in for another schematic overhaul just as the current crop of young defenders starts to settle in.
That’s the real challenge Minnesota now faces. Ownership has chosen to embrace uncertainty - firing Adofo-Mensah in a pivotal offseason with no clear successor in place, and with the draft rapidly approaching. Stability, at least in the short term, is off the table.
Team owner Mark Wilf said the decision wasn’t about “one move,” such as letting Darnold leave. But it’s hard not to connect the dots. As Adofo-Mensah sat in that Soldier Field press box, watching McCarthy struggle to keep the offense afloat in a 17-6 hole, it’s fair to wonder if he sensed the weight of what had slipped away.
Even after the Vikings pulled off the win, Adofo-Mensah never looked relieved. And now, as Minnesota resets its front office and prepares for another critical draft, the pressure shifts to those still in the building - and whoever’s next to walk through the door.