Vikings shock the league, firing GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. New leadership emerges as Rob Brzezinski takes charge, ready to steer the team through the draft.
The Minnesota Vikings made headline news on Friday afternoon, parting ways with general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. As first reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Adofo-Mensah was fired in a move that had been rumored for weeks around the league, but the timing still landed as a shock, especially with Adofo-Mensah spending the week at the Senior Bowl as Minnesota evaluated draft prospects.
According to ESPN’s Kevin Seifert, the decision appears to have come together very recently, as there were no internal plans in place for a front office change based on his sources, underscoring how quickly the situation escalated behind the scenes.
The Vikings announced the move with a statement from owners Mark and Zygi Wilf, who said it was in the best interest of the team to move forward with new leadership and confirmed that executive vice president of football operations Rob Brzezinski will lead football operations through the 2026 NFL Draft. After the draft, the organization plans to conduct a thorough search for its next general manager.
Adofo-Mensah was hired in 2022 as part of the organization’s leadership reset, and his tenure included stretches of winning football, but the 2025 season ended short of expectations with Minnesota missing the postseason, which often accelerates big-picture changes in the NFL. Even with that down year, the Vikings are not entering a full teardown. They have a roster that can compete, a coaching infrastructure in place, and a front office that is keeping continuity through the draft with Brzezinski steering the process. That combination is why this job is going to be viewed as one of the more attractive GM openings once the search begins in earnest after the draft.