Adam Schefter: “Source: Vikings fired GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah.” Further insight: “Throughout the season, there was talk about an underlying ‘tension’ in the Vikings’ building in league circles. One league source said it had been ‘ugly’ in Minnesota. Then today, the Vikings fired Kwesi Adofo-Mensah.”Kevin Seifert of ESPN offers more insight: “There have been rumors for weeks about this, even after Kwesi Adofo-Mensah gave his postseason press conference on Jan. 13. He has been at the Senior Bowl this week. Every time I’ve checked, I’ve been told there were no plans to make changes. This was a (very) recent decision.”
The team has made thing completely official by confirming. Per the team, Rob Brzezinski is going to run the show until after the 2026 NFL Draft.
The Vikings Blow Things Up with GM Decision
Kevin O’Connell is now the most influential voice in the Twin Cities.
The reigning Coach of the Year — at least until another gets named soon — will have his top lieutenants on the coaching staff journeying forward with him.
personnel decisions.Any chance that the reality of Sam Darnold getting away helped to cost Adofo-Mensah his job?
 and head coach Kevin O’Connell hug before the game at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images</p><p>” data-medium-file=”https://vikingsterritory.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=788,height=444,fit=crop,quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/J.J.-McCarthy-and-Kevin-OConnell.jpg” data-large-file=”https://vikingsterritory.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1180,height=620,fit=crop,quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/J.J.-McCarthy-and-Kevin-OConnell.jpg” src=”https://vikingsterritory.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=788,height=444,fit=crop,quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/J.J.-McCarthy-and-Kevin-OConnell.jpg” alt=”J.J. McCarthy and Kevin O’Connell at the New York Giants in 2025″><figcaption>Dec 21, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy (9) and head coach Kevin O’Connell hug before the game at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><div class='code-block code-block-2' style='margin: 8px 0; clear: both;'></center></div></div><p>The budget is currently in a very difficult spot. The task falls to Brzezinski — in fairness, a cap specialist — to get things figured out. But is there any issue when attracting veteran talent given the shake up to the leadership?</p><p>Coach O’Connell and Coach Flores — alongside the Wilfs — will need to do more lifting.</p><p>One even wonders about the decisions surrounding J.J. McCarthy. Do any of the wild trade ideas start getting thrown around?</p><p>Safe to say that the Vikings just lit the fuse of a true news bomb. Currently, everyone is trying to make sense of the decision in what is a very, very surprising development.</p><hr><div><p><img data-lazyloaded=)
Senior Editor for Vikings Territory & PurplePTSD . Twitter & Bluesky: @VikingsGazette. Email: k.joudry[at]vikingsterritory[dot]com. Canadian. Jude 1:24-25.
