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For the second time in four years, the Minnesota Vikings failed to make the NFL playoffs. While a 9-8 record in 2025 brought no immediate change, Vikings ownership announced a major decision Friday.
In a statement, Vikings co-owners and brothers Zygi and Mark Wilf said the organization has decided to part ways with general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah.
“After our annual end-of-season organizational meetings over the past few weeks and after careful consideration, we have decided that it is in the best interest of the team to move forward with new direction for our football operations.
“These decisions are never easy. We are grateful for Kwesi’s contributions and commitment to the organization over the past four years and we wish him and his family the best for the future.”
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Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, general manager of the Minnesota Vikings, before a game against the Detroit Lions at US Bank Stadium on December 24, 2023, in Minneapolis. (Matt Krohn/Imagn Images)
The Wilfs also announced that Rob Brzezinski, the Vikings’ executive vice president of football operations, will be in charge of the front office until the NFL Draft in April. 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 during an end-of-season press conference on January 13. He performed 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.
Kwesi Adofo‐Mensah, general manager of the Minnesota Vikings, during the NFL combine at the Indiana Convention Center on February 28, 2023, in Indianapolis. (Kirby Lee/USA Today Sports)
Although he is credited with building a team that finished with winning records in three of his four seasons as general manager, Adofo-Mensah’s draft results have sometimes come under scrutiny. The selection of quarterback JJ McCarthy in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft came under particular scrutiny, as injuries and inconsistent play limited his availability and production.
The Vikings failed to sign a player who became a Pro Bowler at any point between 2022 and 2025, one of only 11 teams in the NFL to do so.
Minnesota Vikings co-owner Zygi Wilf, left, and general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah talk on the sidelines before a game on Nov. 27, 2023, in Minneapolis. (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 being promoted to general manager in 2012.
Adofo-Mensah played basketball as a student at Princeton. He brought an analytics-driven approach to Minnesota, having held an analyst role with the San Francisco 49ers in 2013. Prior to accepting that role with the Vikings, Adofo-Mensah was vice president of football operations for the Cleveland Browns.
The Vikings hold the 18th pick in this year’s draft.
