Adofo-Mensah's Vikings firing offers a stark warning. Caserio must examine Minnesota's QB decision and its fallout before it's too late for Houston.
Yesterday, news broke that the Minnesota Vikings were making the decision to fire general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah after four years of service to the team. The move came after a disappointing 9-8 season that saw the Vikings specifically struggling with consistency from the quarterback position (injuries, underperformance).
The face of this was second-year quarterback J.J. McCarthy, who only played in 10 games (6-4 record) due to the aforementioned injuries. Meanwhile, McCarthy threw for 1,632 yards (32nd), 11 touchdowns (29th) and 12 interceptions (T-31st) with a 35.7 QBR.
Compare that to predecessor Sam Darnold, who played in all 17 games (14-3 record) and threw for 4,048 yards (fifth), 25 touchdowns (T-ninth) and 14th interceptions (34th) with a 55.7 QBR (19th).
McCarthy and the Vikings are assessing their future, while the Seattle Seahawks (Darnold) are preparing for the Super Bowl in Santa Clara, California.
Swing and a Miss at Quarterback
Darnold went 14-3 as the starter in Minnesota last season, setting a franchise high mark in his one campaign in the Twin Cities. Even though it ultimately led to a 27-9 disappointment in the NFC Wildcard game against the Los Angeles Rams, Darnold had shown enough under head coach Kevin O'Connell to warrant speculation of him being the long term answer at quarterback instead of McCarthy.
The Vikings front office didn't think so, leading to Darnold testing free agency and coming up with a three-year, $100.5 million ($55 million guaranteed) pact with the Seahawks.
This is seen as one of the main reasons for the re-evaluation of Mensah's job security in Minnesota, as the decision to allow Darnold to walk and find immediate success has been like a specter that has haunted the team for the entirety of the 2025-2026 season.
On Alert? (But Productive Nonetheless)
Texans general manager Nick Caserio should be alert after such news, as questions about his own job security have started to percolate amongst Houston's fan base and media in light of the chronic mishandling/under performances of the offensive line in his five years on the job.
To his credit, Caserio has built an effective roster overall, leading to the best three-year stretch in franchise history. Since 2023, Houston is 32-19 with back-to-back AFC South titles, three-straight AFC playoff berths, three Wildcard wins and multiple All-Pros/Pro Bowlers still under contract.
He's found a franchise quarterback (C.J. Stroud), defensive end (Will Anderson Jr.) and cornerback (Derek Stingley Jr., while maintaining a flexible salary cap situation and always being a step ahead when it comes to draft pick accumulation.
Hitting the Wall
However, his team has hit the proverbial "wall" of the AFC Divisional round for three years in a row now, and much of it is due to the previously mentioned issues of the offensive line, as well as the unavailability of key players like running back Joe Mixon (foot injury) and wide receiver Tank Dell (knee).
All things considered, Caserio has avoided the "big miss" decision that doomed Mensah in Minnesota. However, the continued accumulation of "small misses" will inevitably build into one giant mess if Caserio can't fight a way to more immediately get his team over the hump in January.
Do you think Mensah's firing in Minnesota has any effect on the Texans' possible plans for the future? Let us know in the comments section below and by mentioning us at @Texans_RTB on X and @Texans.Roundtable on TikTok!