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For the second time in four years, the Minnesota Vikings failed to advance to the NFL playoffs. While a 9-8 record in 2025 didn’t bring any immediate changes, Vikings ownership announced a big move Friday.
In a statement, Vikings co-owners and brothers Zygi and Mark Wilf said the organization decided to part ways with general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah.
“Following our annual end-of-season organizational meetings over the last several weeks and after careful consideration, we have decided that it is in the best interests of the team to move forward with new management of our football operations. These decisions are never easy. We are grateful for Kwesi’s contribution and commitment to the organization over the past four years and wish him and his family the best for the future.”
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Then-Minnesota Vikings General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah looks on before the game against the Detroit Lions at US Bank Stadium on December 24, 2023 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Matt Krohn/Imagn Images)
Wilfs also announced that Rob Brzezinski, the Vikings’ executive vice president of football operations, would be in charge of the front office through April’s NFL Draft. Shortly after the draft, the franchise will begin its search for its next full-time general manager.
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Adofo-Mensah spoke to the media at an end-of-season press conference on 13 January. He was seen performing routine general management duties this week at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama. Just seven months earlier, the Vikings announced a multi-year contract extension for Adofo-Mensah.
Minnesota Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah during the NFL combine at the Indiana Convention Center on February 28, 2023 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports)
While he was credited with building a roster that ended up winning records in three of his four seasons as general manager, Adofo-Mensah’s draft results have been under scrutiny at times. The selection of quarterback JJ McCarthy in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft was spearheaded as injuries and uneven play limited his availability and production.
The Vikings failed to draft a player who developed into a Pro Bowler at any point from 2022-25, one of only 11 NFL teams to do so.
Minnesota Vikings co-owner Zygi Wilf, left, and general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah talk on the sidelines prior to an NFL football game on Nov. 27, 2023, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Todd Rosenberg/Getty Images)
Adofo-Mensah replaced Rick Spielman, who was fired in 2022. Spielman first joined the Vikings in 2006 as the team’s vice president of player personnel before his promotion to general manager in 2012.
Adofo-Mensah played basketball as a student at Princeton. He brought an analytical-focused approach to Minnesota, having worked in an analyst role with the San Francisco 49ers in 2013. Before taking the job with the Vikings, Adofo-Mensah was the Cleveland Browns’ vice president of football operations.
The Vikings hold the number 18 pick in this year’s draft.
