Vikings Misses and Myths: The False Kwesi Theory, Inaccurate Drake Maye Takes, Lewis Cine

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Vikings Misses and Myths: The False Kwesi Theory, Inaccurate Drake Maye Takes, Lewis Cine

Vikings Misses and Myths: The False Kwesi Theory, Inaccurate Drake Maye Takes, Lewis Cine — Minnesota Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah speaks with Paul Allen during a radio appearance discussing multiple team topics, with October 22, 2024 falling in the buildup to a Week 8 matchup against the Los Angeles Rams. The conversation came amid a dominant 14–2 regular season that positioned Minnesota as an NFC contender. Mandatory Credit: YouTube

Dustin Baker · Vikings Territory

Sun, Feb 8, 2026 ·

6 min read

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Minnesota Vikings misses and myths are actually quite hot and heavy this week, mainly because of misinformation regarding Kwesi Adofo-Mensah's termination . Here's a glance at the Nopedy Nopes.

A quick truth check on three Vikings talking points that picked up steam heading into Super Bowl week.

Our weekly publication chronicles all the false and outlandish takes in the Vikings' orbit — or stuff that simply didn't work out.

Kwesi Rumor, Maye Trade Talk, and Cine's Latest Detour

The Nopey Nopes of Super Bowl week are here.

Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah speaks to media at the NFL Scouting Combine. Vikings misses and myths. — Minnesota Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah speaks with reporters at the NFL Scouting Combine inside the Indiana Convention Center, with the session taking place on Feb. 27, 2024, as Minnesota weighed offseason priorities, roster flexibility, and long-term planning while setting the framework for free agency and the upcoming draft cycle. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports.

The Nopedy Nope: Kwesi Adofo-Mensah was fired, in part, because he took paternity leave in 2023.

NFL Network' s Tom Pelissero joined KFAN this week and, among several items, dispelled the fictitious paternity leave theory.

He told the Power Trip Morning Show , "To pin it on 'He took paternity leave three years ago,' even if you're bringing it up to say, 'But that wasn't it,' you're introducing a topic that had not been a topic. Sure, is there a level of frustration that comes when you feel like you're having to do more because your co-worker is out? You don't fire a guy three years after he took paternity leave. Like, what are we even talking about? It's just wild. Like, we all knew that."

"Yeah, he wasn't around in the summer of 2023. He missed chunks of the spring and missed part of training camp. But I never got any sense that it was some long-standing thing. It was well known that that happened and that there was some frustration from the people in the building about it, but it never changed the relationship. So, this idea that it was this toxic environment is, frankly, complete and utter nonsense."

The paternity leave situation was mentioned by reporters covering the Vikings, and some fans then chose to make it the smoking gun for Adofo-Mensah's termination.

Pelissero added, "I will say this, there is a habit for certain people, if they get beat on a scoop, to immediately lend additional details to the story that may or may not be 100 percent grounded in fact. So, you ended up with a bunch of tweets thrown out there into the universe, that suggested things, that based upon all my knowledge of the situation are not entirely accurate."

"The idea that this was a toxic environment, there was tension between — Kwesi and Kevin are friends, personally. They have always been good. There was not a fight. There was not a blow-up. It was not, quite frankly, like it was at the end of the Mike Zimmer-Rick Spielman era , two guys that I like a lot, but they weren't talking. It was never like that."

It may be true that paternity leave is uncommon in the NFL, but the Wilfs didn't fire Adofo-Mensah for it — three years later.

The Verdict: Nopedy nope on Adofo-Mensah losing his job for taking two weeks of paternity leave while working from home.

The Nopedy Nope: The Vikings had a trade in place for Drake Maye in 2024, but they backed out.

SI.com 's Albert Breer published a piece this week chronicling Sam Darnold's rise in Seattle , laying out the broader takeaways from that arc.

Buried inside the article was a revealing detail about Minnesota's quarterback ambitions in 2024. Breer wrote , "There's the one caveat to all of this, which is that the Vikings tried with all their might to trade up for Drake Maye in 2024. O'Connell loved him. Maye was coached in high school by Vikings assistant Josh McCown and was a teammate of McCown's son."

"Minnesota offered both of its first-round picks in 2024 (Nos. 11 and 23) and its 2025 first-rounder to the Patriots, with later-round pick swaps favoring Minnesota to move up to the third pick."

North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye warms up before a game at Hard Rock Stadium. — North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye warms up on the field at Hard Rock Stadium prior to kickoff, with the scene unfolding on Oct. 8, 2022, as the Tar Heels prepared to face Miami while Maye went through pregame throwing drills and movement work ahead of the ACC matchup. Mandatory Credit: Rich Storry-USA TODAY Sports.

Despite that, a segment of the fan base has spent the time since the 2024 NFL Draft insisting Minnesota simply walked away from the deal. That belief doesn't align with what actually happened.

Breer added, "O'Connell pushed them to go further. It wouldn't matter, because the Patriots weren't moving, sitting there as convicted in Maye as Minnesota was in the former North Carolina quarterback." The resistance came from New England , not hesitation from Minnesota.

"But if the Vikings had somehow gotten the Patriots off their spot with Maye, all of this might look different, and the aforementioned rumblings probably would have stopped." The entire trajectory hinged on a pick that was never available.

There's a meaningful gap between claiming the Vikings backed off a deal and acknowledging that the Patriots refused to move. One version reflects how draft negotiations actually unfold; the other rewrites events to paint Minnesota's front office as recklessly incompetent. That's just not the case.

The Verdict: Nopedy nope on the Vikings backing out of the Maye trade; Robert Kraft cancelled the deal.

The Nopedy Nope: Lewis Cine would catch on in the UFL.

Cine is out — and the UFL league that was supposed to offer a reset.

Vikings safety Lewis Cine watches drills during a practice session at TCO Performance Center. — Minnesota Vikings safety Lewis Cine observes practice activity at the TCO Performance Center during training camp, with the moment captured on July 27, 2022, as the rookie acclimated to NFL routines, team drills, and coaching instruction following his first-round selection earlier that offseason. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports.

UFL writer Michael Heilman wrote over the weekend , "The D.C. Defenders released wide receiver Jalen Virgil , offensive linemen Elijah Ellis and Silas Dzansi, and defensive back Lewis Cine on Saturday according to the UFL Transactions page. Lewis Cine is six foot two and weighs 199 pounds. The 26-year-old from Cedar Hills, Texas, was drafted by the D.C. Defenders in the 2026 UFL Draft."

"The Minnesota Vikings drafted Cine in the first round (32nd pick) of the 2022 NFL Draft. He spent three seasons in Minnesota with one tackle (1 solo) in 10 games. In 2024, he made 16 tackles (8 solos, 8 assists), one sack, one interception, and one pass breakup in three preseason games. The Vikings released him on August 27, 2024."

For Cine, this is another miss on a resume that no longer has room for them. The UFL was supposed to be a proving ground. Cine couldn't even make the cut there.

The Verdict: Nopedy nope on Cine's football career — in general. He's probably done.

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