The Minnesota Vikings fired general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah on Friday.
The move comes exactly eight months after Adofo-Mensah signed a multi-year contract extension with the Vikings.
It also comes one day after Adofo-Mensah acknowledged that he has endured sleepless nights since allowing quarterback Sam Darnold to walk in free agency last offseason. Darnold signed a three-year, $100.5 million contract with the Seattle Seahawks, who will face the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LX on Feb. 8.
“You spend a lot of those nights, obviously, you’re up in these decisions, and they’re uncertain,” Adofo-Mensah told reporters Thursday.
“You’re trying to make sure you don’t lock yourself into what you did and thinking that it’s always right. Still understand why we did what we did. The results maybe didn’t play out the way we wanted them to, but ultimately, I think at the end of the day we could have executed in certain places.”
The Vikings opted to hand the keys to 2024 first-round pick JJ McCarthy at quarterback.
Minnesota finished missed the playoffs with a 9-8 record in 2025 after going 34-17 with two postseason appearances since Adofo-Mensah and head coach Kevin O’Connell arrived ahead of the 2022 season.
“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,” a statement from Vikings owners Mark and Zygi Wilf read. “These decisions are never easy.”
Executive vice president of football operations Rob Brzezinski will lead the team through the 2026 NFL Draft, the Vikings announced. The team said it will conduct a thorough search for their next general manager after the draft.
Adofo-Mensah, 44, worked in the front offices of the San Francisco 49ers (2013-19) and Cleveland Browns (2020-21) before joining the Vikings.
