The 2025 season was undeniably a disappointment for the Minnesota Vikings, to the point that it was worth wondering if someone might take the fall. On Friday, someone did take the fall with the announcement that general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has been relieved of his duties.
The team also announced long-time executive Rob Brzezinski will lead the front office through April's draft, then a replacement for Adofo-Mensah will be sought and hired. Adofo-Mensah had been in Mobile, Alabama, at the Senior Bowl all week, as what now looks like an apparent facade that his job was safe.
According to several reports, there was talk of tension and discourse in the Vikings' building over the course of this season. The root of that was likely last offseason's decisions with the quarterback room, as Super Bowl-bound Sam Darnold was allowed to leave, as was Daniel Jones.
The plan behind J.J. McCarthy was also not well thought out, or possibly as aligned as it should've been in light of the move to fire Adofo-Mensah.
Adofo-Mensah's dismal draft record also did him no favors.
On "The Pat McAfee Show" right after the news of Adofo-Mensah's firing on Friday, ESPN's Adam Schefter suggested a "transfer of some power from the front office to the coaching staff" has taken place over the course of the season.
Firing of Kwesi Adofo-Mensah puts the spotlight on Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell
Adofo-Mensah and head coach Kevin O'Connell came to Minnesota together in 2022. They had seemed aligned in regard to everything all the way along, up to and including personnel moves. In hindsight, with more details sure to come, that may not have been the case.
In four seasons as the Vikings' head coach, O'Connell is 43-25 with two playoff appearances and zero postseason wins. Now he's likely to have prominent input into who is ultimately hired to replace Adofo-Mensah, and perhaps, a more prominent say over personnel decisions and the roster.
Vikings' ownership has chosen their fighter in the apparent power struggle between Adofo-Mensah and O'Connell. A report from Dianna Russini of The Athletic makes it seem like O'Connell had a big influence on the move to fire Adofo-Mensah.
Minnesota’s ownership met multiple times following the season, holding extensive conversations with leaders, including Kevin O’Connell. They recently met again to finalize their moves, and after those discussions, decided to fire their GM, despite his new contract last off season
— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) January 30, 2026
With Adofo-Mensah gone, and tension in the building seemingly gone with him, the heat has naturally been turned up on O'Connell. If the trend of his tenure continues, with an easier schedule again, the Vikings will win double-digit games and make the playoffs next season.
When it comes down to it, now that he has seemingly helped shape Adofo-Mensah into the fall guy for this season's failure, that might now be the minimum expectation for O'Connell's fifth season. If a playoff win or two doesn't come, the Vikings could decide they also need a new head coach in 2027.