Not a lot of Minnesota Vikings fans have a good feeling deep inside of them after the stunning firing of general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah.
Everything just seems off about it, from it happening three weeks after the season ended to the messaging behind it; Vikings fans can't help but feel there is something more to this than just that it was the right time to make the move. ESPN NFL analyst Mina Kimes had similar concerns when she first reacted to the news of Adofo-Mensah's firing.
"Yeah I'm surprised. Not surprised by the decision, but surprised by the timing. That's what's shocking here, right? Because Vikings' season ended weeks ago. They had their meetings back then, sent him to the Senior Bowl apparently. The timing makes me think this is reactive to Sam Darnold being in the Super Bowl. It's hard not to feel that way."
ESPN's Mina Kimes is preaching to the Minnesota Vikings choir about GM firing
Watching Darnold make his Super Bowl run in his first season with the Seattle Seahawks has been painful to watch for the Vikings fan base. It's a horrible feeling that shouldn't be there since Minnesota had a chance to bring him back, which no Vikings fan would argue against if that was the reason for Adofo-Mensah being fired. Instead, they stuck with J.J. McCarthy, leaving them without a reliable veteran backup, and the Vikings missed the postseason while McCarthy played half the season.
Kimes also commented that it isn't fair to say that Darnold's Super Bowl run is the only reason for his firing, which is absolutely right. There are several other reasons that Adofo-Mensah was fired after four years on the job.
Looking at what happened last offseason, spending nearly $300 million to barely get any production from the big-money free agents they got was crushing to see. How about the lack of draft picks they had with five? The Vikings couldn't really build a future off of that draft outside of first-round pick Donovan Jackson.
Speaking of the draft, the lack of success that Adofo-Mensah had from his picks has been criticized heavily over the last year plus. Of the 28 selections that Adofo-Mensah has made in four years, kicker Will Reichard is the only All-Pro selection, and the team has had zero Pro Bowlers.
With all that being said, the Vikings knew this and had the same information three weeks ago, which is when they should have made the firing if they wanted to. It's hard not to think that Darnold's run to the Super Bowl is 100% the reason, if they will deny it until the very end.
This is one of the biggest head-scratching moves for the Vikings since... giving Adofo-Mensah a contract extension just eight months ago. It's a hard time in Minneapolis, but a strong offseason could help erase the painful memories of the last year.