The Minnesota Vikings stunned the NFL world on Friday morning, announcing that general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah had been relieved of his duties after four seasons.
Now, most teams that fire their general manager do so a day or two after their season ends. So, the fact that the Vikings kept Adofo-Mensah on board for nearly a month after their Week 18 win over the Green Bay Packers certainly raises some eyebrows. And speaking of the Packers, by the way, what a twist of the knife on their part by announcing the extensions of GM Brian Gutekunst, head coach Matt LaFleur, and Vice President/Director of Football Operations Russ Ball, only a few hours after the Vikings broke their big news. But I digress.
To make matters more interesting, Minnesota also announced that there are no immediate plans to replace Adofo-Mensah, as Executive Vice President of Football Operations Rob Brzezinski will run the show from now until after the 2026 NFL Draft in late April. So, it goes without saying, but the Vikings' front office is in clear disarray at the moment.
And now, to make matters even more interesting, Brian Flores may have seen this move coming.
Brian Flores was reportedly very uncomfortable with the Minnesota Vikings' front office before signing his new contract
Before Adofo-Mensah's firing, the Vikings' biggest issue in the early weeks of this offseason revolved around defensive coordinator Brian Flores, who, despite the franchise's best efforts, refused to sign an extension before the three-year contract he signed ahead of the 2023 season officially lapsed on January 14.
Minnesota always knew he was going to interview for several head coaching opportunities, which he obviously did, engaging in talks with the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers, but he also took at least one interview for another DC position, meeting with the Washington Commanders, which naturally had to make the Vikings (and their fans) a little uneasy.
Flores, of course, did end up signing a new deal with the Vikings on the condition that he would return as long as he didn't get a head coaching gig, which he obviously didn't, as the Ravens hired Jesse Minter, while the Steelers went with Mike McCarthy. But as ESPN's Kevin Seifert reported on Friday, Flores had trepidations about inking his new contract, as he was apparently uncomfortable with the Vikings' front-office situation.
"Multiple sources said that defensive coordinator Brian Flores' unusual decision to let his contract lapse, before signing a new deal that will pay him more than $6 million per season, was based in part on his unease with the direction of the front office," Seifert wrote. "When asked last month if he wanted to remain with the Vikings, Flores noted that he loved working for the Wilfs and with O'Connell, and loved living in Minnesota, but did not mention Adofo-Mensah."
So, again, did Flores see this coming? And this is purely speculation, but one has to wonder whether his new contract was at least partly contingent on the Vikings parting ways with Adofo-Mensah. Yes, it's a bit of a stretch, as Flores inked his new deal 10 days ago. But at this point, just about anything seems possible with this organization.