Being a general manager in the NFL is a tough deal. In his four years as the Vikings GM, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, the drafts didn’t load the roster with young talent. That’s a problem. As a result, the Vikings have relied heavily on free agency. The expensive veteran route is supposed to supplement a roster rather than dominate it. The Vikings have hit in free agency on his watch. Perhaps, that’s what got him the extension in the spring. In the end, I believe the disappointing drafts are what got him fired. And zero playoff wins.
Talking heads and fans have had a riotous time criticizing the Vikings, and Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, for the Sam Darnold situation. They had him in 2024 and could’ve kept him 2025. Instead, the Vikings let him walk in free agency for a somewhat big deal with the Seattle Seahawks. J.J. McCarthy was selected with the 10th pick of the 2024 NFL Draft to be the team’s franchise quarterback. The Vikings had a quarterback plan and they had to see it through. They had to see what they had in a promising quarterback on a rookie contract. I whole-heartedly agreed with the plan a year ago. Despite Darnold guiding the Seahawks to next week’s Super Bowl, I still agree with the plan now. While McCarthy had an up and down first season as the Vikings starting quarterback, I love his potential. At this moment, moving forward, I’m more optimistic about the upside of a 23-year old J.J. McCarthy than a 29-year old Sam Darnold.
Ultimately, my belief as to why Kwesi Adofo-Mensah was fired means little. Moving forward, Vikings ownership decided that they’ll hold off on interviewing and hiring a new general manager until after the draft. This surprised some people. The timing of this firing is later than a team would like to be making a pivot on their general manager. With the Senior Bowl a day away from being behind us, teams are well into the process of free agency and the draft. A couple of weeks of interviews and teams are fast approaching the Combine. Until a new general manager is hired, Executive Vice President-Football Operations (Cap Wizard) Rob Brzezinski will oversee the process. Many pundits and fans have speculated whether Brzezinski might be a candidate for the permanent GM job. Personally, I believe that he’s too valuable as the Cap Wizard. Between now and the draft, I see Brzezinski as a unifier, a calming presence. He’s been a supremely respected presence for the Vikings since 1999. I see the scouts and coaches running the talent evaluation show. Brzezinski will simply oversee it. He isn’t a football talent evaluator. I expect that he’ll know his lane, advise if needed, break ties if he must. With Ryan Grigson and Demetrius Washington, there are two assistant general managers in the building. The former is a “football guy.” The latter is an “analytics guy.” The Vikings also have Ryan Monnens, Chisom Opara, Sam DeLuca, Jamal Stephenson, Mike Sholiton, and a host scouts. It’s not the least bit convenient or easy but I believe that it’s being handled well. Or, as well as it can be handled with the timing.
Vikings ownership clearly decided that things had splintered with Kwesi Adofo-Mensah as the general manager. In that sense, it feels right to make a difficult decision now rather force things through a critical offseason.
At moments like this, it’s easy to point angry fingers at the person that was fired. After all, all woes are clearly due to him. Right? I thank Kwesi for Jordan Addison, J.J. McCarthy, Dallas Turner, Will Reichard, Levi Drake Rodriguez, and Donovan Jackson, and a host of undrafted free agents. Under his watch, the Vikings have been the league’s best at mining the undrafted free agents. That’s something.
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