The Minnesota Vikings are moving on from general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah after four seasons with the organization, a decision the team announced Friday as it begins another reset at the top of its football operations department.
Vikings owners Mark and Zygi Wilf said the move was made in the “best interest of the team,” adding that executive vice president of football operations Rob Brzezinski will oversee the front office through the 2026 NFL Draft. Minnesota plans to conduct a full search for a new general manager following the draft.
The timing of the decision is surprising. Kwesi signed a multi-year extension just last May and was recently in Mobile evaluating prospects at the Senior Bowl. Less than a year later, the Vikings have decided a change in leadership was necessary after a season that failed to meet internal expectations.
Kwesi’s tenure in Minnesota produced solid regular-season results. The Vikings reached the playoffs twice, won the NFC North in his first season, and compiled a 43–25 record during his four years in charge. On paper, that’s a stretch many franchises would take.
But postseason success never followed. Minnesota went 0–2 in playoff games under Kwesi, and the organization never took the leap from competitive to championship-level contender. Over time, ownership appeared to conclude that “good” wasn’t good enough.
Draft performance became one of the central issues. While no general manager bats a thousand, the Vikings struggled to extract consistent impact from their rookie classes. A handful of selections have developed into contributors, but the overall return did not meet the standard expected from multiple years of draft capital. That shortfall forced Minnesota into heavier reliance on free agency and left little margin for error.
Quarterback decisions also weighed heavily on the evaluation. Last offseason, the Vikings allowed Sam Darnold to leave in free agency and handed the offense to first-round pick J.J. McCarthy. Kwesi later acknowledged there was unease with the decision, even while defending the process behind it.
The results were difficult to ignore. McCarthy battled injury and inconsistency in his first season as the starter, while Darnold went on to post another 4,000-yard campaign and now has the Seattle Seahawks headed to Super Bowl LX. Fair or not, that contrast amplified scrutiny on the Vikings’ long-term plan at the most important position in sports.
There were also signs of internal friction as the season unfolded. League sources described tension within the building, and differences of opinion on roster construction and personnel decisions reportedly played a role in ownership’s final call.
Now, Minnesota enters a pivotal offseason with uncertainty at the top of the front office but continuity in the short term. Brzezinski will guide the team through the draft, providing stability while the Vikings evaluate the next direction for their football operations.
Kwesi’s run in Minnesota ends with strong regular-season results and an ambitious attempt to modernize how the organization operated. In the end, the Vikings decided the next step forward required new leadership — and a fresh approach to turning promise into postseason success.
