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One Thing Overall Got Kwesi Adofo-Mensah Fired
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- One Thing Overall Got Kwesi Adofo-Mensah Fired
Kirby Lee
The Minnesota Vikings turned the page Friday on the Kwesi Adofo-Mensah era , firing the general manager after four seasons and promoting Vice President of Football Operations Rob Brzezinski to the interim GM role. Since Adofo-Mensah's termination, several theories have swirled about why he got the boot, but one, above all else, takes the case: he drafted terribly.
Draft misses piled up, the roster aged fast, and Minnesota chose a reset at GM.
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Of course, the Wilfs' ( Vikings ownership) decision considered all moving parts, but the fact remains Adofo-Mensah would still be employed if he drafted at an average or better success rate.
The Vikings Couldn't Thrive with Another Thin Draft Class
Minnesota begins life without Adofo-Mensah for the first time in four years.
Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell and general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah share a sideline exchange as game action unfolds on Dec. 10, 2023, at Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nevada. The brief interaction came during a tense road matchup, reflecting real-time decision-making as Minnesota balanced in-game adjustments with broader roster and organizational considerations under pressure. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images.
It's the Drafting, Stupid
Some have already pointed to Adofo-Mensah's paternity leave, which lasted two weeks, as the smoking gun or Adofo-Mensah's inability to re-sign Sam Darnold or Daniel Jones in the 2025 offseason.
But when it gets down to brass tacks, Adofo-Mensah did not replenish the roster with enough talent through the draft. Each draft has seven picks per team, and through 28 eligible throws at the dartboard, Adofo-Mensah brought home Donovan Jackson , Dallas Turner , Will Reichard , Levi Drake Rodriguez , Jordan Addison , and Jalen Nailor . That's about it.
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His success rate in the draft landed at 20% if the tabulator is feeling generous. The draft is, of course, a crapshoot, but that means a general manager should not expect to hit 100% of the time. That doesn't give him a license to strike out 80% of the time.
That's what happened with Adofo-Mensah. Approximately four-fifths of his picks flamed out. It made Minnesota's current roster old compared to other NFL teams. And that's a problem for an organization that wishes to keep the Super Bowl window open at all times.
Compared to Other NFL Franchises
Here's the horribly dooming stat —
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Most Games Started per Player by Team,
Players Drafted by THAT Team,
Since 2022:
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Packers : 563
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Giants: 493
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Texans : 457
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Rams: 437
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Buccaneers : 413
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Jets : 412
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Ravens : 406
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Lions: 403
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Seahawks : 402
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Chargers: 398
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Colts : 390
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Bears: 388
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Jaguars : 375
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Chiefs: 364
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Bills: 354
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Eagles: 352
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Cowboys : 337
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Cardinals: 334
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Steelers : 330
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Raiders : 321
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Saints: 316
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Titans: 296
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Commanders : 296
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Bengals : 294
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49ers : 287
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Falcons: 279
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Patriots: 277
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Panthers : 247
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Broncos: 228
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Browns : 205
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Vikings: 172
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Dolphins: 122
Only the Dolphins did it more poorly, and that squad also fired its general manager a couple of months ago. The NFL draft is the only place in football to get players for free, and Minnesota whiffed more often than not under Adofo-Mensah.
J.J. McCarthy Alone Might Have Saved Adofo-Mensah
To be clear: the largest indictment, at least right now, is McCarthy not panning through two seasons. Had McCarthy thrived in 2025, as many expected, Adofo-Mensah would actually be championed right now. For Adofo-Mensah, his spotty draft resume could be reversed if he just hit on McCarthy.
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So far, McCarthy has not produced, missing 70% of all Vikings games due to injury .
If McCarthy turns into a franchise quarterback with the Vikings or another team, Adofo-Mensah will have an "I told you so" argument. But that just doesn't matter during the 2026 offseason because Minnesota must decide to keep him as the QB1 or acquire a different passer.
All signs point to the latter with Adofo-Mensah removed from his position.
Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy addresses reporters during 2025 OTAs at the TCO Performance Center, discussing his return to football following a knee injury suffered in his rookie season. Drafted in the first round in 2024, McCarthy used the offseason setting to reestablish timing, confidence, and visibility within the organization after a prolonged absence. Mandatory Credit: YouTube
CBS Sports ' Robby Kalland wrote last weekend , "A new regime in Minnesota could mean changes at quarterback sooner rather than later. We'll find out exactly how much belief coach Kevin O'Connell has in McCarthy, as Adofo-Mensah was clearly a strong believer in the young quarterback. A new GM, however, won't have the same ties to him."
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"As such, one of the first major evaluations for whoever steps into the general manager role will be whether they view McCarthy as the franchise quarterback of the future. Given the Vikings' cap situation, it wouldn't be surprising if McCarthy gets another year to show what he can do. Minnesota likely won't be in the market for a high-priced free agent, and this year's draft class isn't highly regarded beyond Fernando Mendoza, who is the favorite to go No. 1 to the Raiders."
Restoring Youth to the Roster
Thankfully, Vikings fans can dream big again. They don't have to dread the draft, an event that was guaranteed to result in underwhelming results over the last four years.
Pound-for-pound, the current roster is one of the NFL's oldest. The only way to fix that is competent drafting in the next few years. Drafting rookies who play and remain on the roster for four years or more will go a long way toward changing the dynamic of an old roster.
Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell moves across the field during pregame warmups on Jan. 4, 2026, at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. The scene came ahead of Minnesota's matchup with Green Bay, capturing O'Connell's presence as the team finalized preparations, evaluated personnel, and set its tone before kickoff in a high-attention divisional setting. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images.
Minnesota went all-in last year after completing its competitive rebuild plan, and with that strategy in full motion, the roster should be one of the league's youngest — not oldest.
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Adofo-Mensah forced himself to use free agency as a replenishing mechanism for his sad draft tendencies. The next guy or group will use the draft foremost to find talent, with free agency as the cake topper. It's the only sustainable way to contend for a Super Bowl .
