Brian Angelichio is close to an agreement with the Steelers to become their offensive coordinator, Mark Kaboly of The Pat McAfee Show reports.
Angelichio will become the Steelers’ fourth different offensive coordinator in four seasons. Head coach Mike McCarthy, though, has already said he will call the plays.
Angelichio has spent the past four seasons as the Vikings’ passing game coordinator and tight ends coach under Kevin O’Connell.
He worked with the Packers under McCarthy from 2016-18, as the tight ends coach. Aaron Rodgers was the team’s quarterback.
Angelichio also coached tight ends with the Panthers, Bucs, Browns and Commanders.
The Steelers also interviewed Cowboys tight ends coach Lunda Wells and Saints quarterbacks coach Scott Tolzien.
Vikings Clips
For years, the NFL has utilized a unique system of handling many potential legal claims made by non-players against the teams and/or the league. In this specific context, “unique” means “secret, rigged, kangaroo court of arbitration.”
All coaches and plenty of other team and league employees sign contracts that require them to submit any disputes to arbitration ultimately controlled by the Commissioner, who is hired and paid by the league and its teams. (And when the contract doesn’t do the trick, the league will resort to the NFL’s Constitution and Bylaws to argue that such matters can’t be resolved in open court.)
The practice has taken multiple hits over the past year, with high-profile rebukes from both the Nevada Supreme Court (as to Jon Gruden’s lawsuit against the NFL and the Commissioner) and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit (as to Brian Flores’s lawsuit against the NFL, the Dolphins, the Giants, the Broncos, and the Texans).
Most recently, the NFL filed a petition for appeal to the United States Supreme Court in the Flores case, teeing up the question of whether the practice is legitimate under the Federal Arbitration Act. (The next step is for the Supreme Court to decide whether to even take the case.)
During Monday’s Super Bowl press conference, Jarrett Bell of USA Today asked Commissioner Roger Goodell for his response to the contention that he can’t be fair and impartial in resolving such disputes.
“Some of this is legal, Jarrett, which I’ll let the lawyers discuss, but I would just tell you from a broader standpoint, arbitration is a part of what we have between our clubs and the league and the Commissioner’s responsibility between individuals who are under contract, and the Commissioner’s role,” Goodell said. “So it is part of the Commissioner’s role, has been, and continues to be, and is an important element in getting resolution to issues so that we can move forward without unnecessary litigation. So, beyond that, I’ll leave it to the lawyers to go from there.”
The lawyers will argue in court that the practice is legally justified. But the Commissioner’s answer is clear. He’s basically saying “it was like that when I got here.”
The core question is whether any company should be allowed to compel arbitration of legal disputes to be resolved by, essentially, its CEO. Many American businesses use arbitration as an alternative to litigation. Nearly all of them designate an external arbitrator, with no ties to either side.
The NFL has persisted, for decades, in its belief that it’s proper for the Commissioner to preside over these disputes. It’s inherently impossible for the Commissioner to be truly fair and impartial, even if he’s trying to be. His bread is amply buttered by one of the parties to the dispute.
Judges routinely recuse themselves from any case that presents even the slightest possibility for an actual or perceived conflict of interest. Plenty of judges will step aside based on something as simple as knowing one of the parties socially.
So, no, the Commissioner cannot be fair and impartial. And the NFL shouldn’t want to put the Commissioner in that spot, if the league is interested in true justice being done.
The broader concern is that, if the league gets a license from the Supreme Court to handle legal disputes in this manner, other companies will decide to do the same thing, making it even harder for people whose rights have been violated to get a truly fair and impartial resolution to their grievances.
For the NFL, it’s not about justice. It’s about avoiding the costs of going to court, keeping potentially embarrassing facts from becoming public, and ensuring that, at the end of the day, The Shield will deflect any and all slings and arrows.
The Cowboys have hired Marcus Dixon as their new defensive line coach, Todd Archer of ESPN reports.
He replaces Aaron Whitecotton, who was hired by the Titans last week.
The Cowboys announced the hirings of Derrick Ansley and Ryan Smith. Ansley will serve as the defensive pass game coordinator and Smith will coach the secondary.
Dixon spent the past two seasons as the Vikings’ defensive line coach. His contract expired, and the Vikings had already replaced him with Ryan Nielsen.
He was the assistant defensive line coach for the Rams in 2021 and the defensive line coach of the Broncos from 2022-23.
Dixon spent time with the Cowboys as a player from 2008-10.
Ansley spent two seasons as the Packers’ defensive pass game coordinator after one season as the Chargers’ defensive coordinator. Smith was the Cardinals’ cornerbacks coach the past two seasons.
Any NFL Network (or, as of Saturday, ESPN) employees who are brainstorming questions for Commissioner Roger Goodell’s annual Super Bowl press conference on Monday should probably tread lightly, when it comes to one specific topic.
Former NFL Media reporter Jim Trotter found himself out of work after posing pointed questions to Goodell regarding NFL Network newsroom employment practices during consecutive Super Bowl press conferences. Trotter’s contract was not renewed. Trotter sued.
“The NFL has claimed it wants to be held accountable regarding diversity, equity and inclusion,” Trotter said in a statement when he filed the lawsuit. “I tried to do so, and it cost me my job.”
The NFL settled the case. Since then, however, “DEI” has been Frank Luntz’d into a rallying cry against the principles that underpin the acronym. Over the past year, the current administration has aggressively attacked DEI programs, in both public and private employment.
Enter the NFL’s now-completed hiring cycle (unless Klint Kubiak gets a case of Josh McDaniels-style cold feet). Of the 10 new head coaches, only one is a minority: Titans coach Robert Saleh. None are Black.
When Brian Flores sued the league and multiple teams, four years ago Sunday, the civil complaint included a lengthy quote from NFL executive V.P. of football operations Troy Vincent regarding the league’s long-term deficiencies when it comes to hiring Black coaches in a sport composed predominantly of Black players.
“There is a double standard, and we’ve seen that,” Vincent said. “And you talk about the appetite for what’s acceptable. Let’s just go back to . . . Coach [Tony] Dungy was let go in Tampa Bay after a winning season. . . Coach [Steve] Wilks, just a few years prior, was let go after one year . . . Coach [Jim] Caldwell was fired after a winning season in Detroit . . . It is part of the larger challenges that we have. But when you just look over time, it’s over-indexing for men of color. These men have been fired after a winning season. How do you explain that? There is a double standard. I don’t think that that is something that we should shy away from. But that is all part of some of the things that we need to fix in the system. We want to hold everyone to why does one, let’s say, get the benefit of the doubt to be able to build or take bumps and bruises in this process of getting a franchise turned around when others are not afforded that latitude? . . . [W]e’ve seen that in history at the [professional] level.”
The open hostility to DEI from the top of the nation’s government has sparked a general backlash, emboldening some to throw the letters around like some new form of slur. And so, given that the Rooney Rule (which the NFL has not abandoned) continues to be the league’s primary device for encouraging diversity, equity, and inclusion, the current climate will not be welcoming to any arguments advanced on the basis that the concerns spelled out by Troy Vincent continue to linger.
Three years ago, NFL Players Association executive director DeMaurice Smith co-authored an article in the Yale Law and Policy Review pointing out the failure of the NFL and its teams to face accountability for a situation in which the raw numbers speak volumes. Smith’s article called for, among other things, an admission that the Rooney Rule has failed — and the elimination of it.
“The NFL faces neither shareholder nor consumer accountability,” the article explained. “There is no public board of directors, there are no public compliance or audit reports, there are virtually no federal or state mandated public disclosures, nor government operational oversight. All of this should be surprising — and profoundly troubling — given the tax benefits, special antitrust treatment, stadium funding, and other publicly enabled benefits that the NFL and its member teams have enjoyed for generations.”
For at least the next three years, there will be no governmental oversight. If anything, the league faces scrutiny for continuing to maintain the Rooney Rule. The cancellation of the league’s 2025 accelerator program prompted concerns that the NFL is pulling back its diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. Goodell, when pressed about the development in May, displayed sensitivity on the subject.
It all sets the stage for Monday’s Super Bowl press conference. What will Goodell be asked about the latest hiring cycle? About the accelerator program? About the league’s commitment to a subject about which it claims to remain vigilant, at a time when any vigilance may invite a late-night, all-caps, thank-you-for-your-attention-to-this-matter attack from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue?
It took a little while, and it took a lot of money.
Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores, whose contract expired after the season, has rejoined the team on a deal that will pay him, via Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com, more than $6 million per year.
Because coaching pay lacks the transparency of player pay, it’s impossible to know with certainty how much anyone makes. It was reported that Raiders offensive coordinator Chip Kelly received $6 million per year. Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio makes $4.5 million annually.
With Kelly now fired, those numbers would make Flores the highest-paid coordinator in the league. Minnesota’s willingness to spend that much on Flores may help explain the reluctance of the Cowboys to enter the bidding.
Yes, we’d be surprised by the amount of the check that owner Jerry Jones would write to guarantee a Super Bowl win. We’d be surprised, because it’s so small.
The Vikings fired General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah on Friday and they moved on to filling out head coach Kevin O’Connell’s staff on Saturday.
NFL Media reports that they have hired Frank Smith as their assistant head coach. Smith was the Dolphins’ offensive coordinator for the last four seasons.
They have also hired offensive line coach Keith Carter, defensive backs coach/pass game coordinator Gerald Alexander, and defensive line coach Ryan Nielsen.
Carter was the assistant line coach in Minnesota while Alexander was the Steelers’ defensive backs coach in 2025. Nielsen has been a defensive coordinator for the Saints, Falcons and Jaguars. He was a senior defensive assistant for the Bills in 2025.
Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson wonders what might have been for his team this season if it had kept quarterback Sam Darnold around.
Asked in an interview with USA Today if he has thought about whether it could be the Vikings in the Super Bowl instead of the Seahawks if Darnold were in Minnesota instead of Seattle, Jefferson answered, “Yeah, for sure, definitely.”
Jefferson added that it was a tough year for the Vikings with J.J. McCarthy, Carson Wentz and Max Brosmer at quarterback, and it could have been different with Darnold, who led the Vikings to a 14-3 record in 2024 but left for Seattle in 2025.
“Everyone knows the difficulty of the quarterback position this year, how we were dealt it,” Jefferson said. “But having a quarterback that already had a season under his belt with us, knew the plays, knew the playbook, knew the players, throwing to me, Jordan Addison, T.J. Hockenson, all these guys, I definitely feel like we would have done better. But it is what it is, it’s on to newer and better things. But I’m definitely happy and proud of him that he is able to reach it this year.”
Jefferson said he has mixed emotions seeing Darnold’s success.
“It’s definitely tough. It’s tough to watch,” Jefferson said. “I love that he’s in the Super Bowl. I’m happy for him, I want nothing but the best for him, especially the way his journey was at first, people doubting him and people not giving him the respect. Now they’re giving him the respect. Now they’re seeing that he’s a top-tier quarterback in this league. Of course, selfishly I wish he had done that for us last year, but to see him blossom and bounce back right after last year and make it this year, I’m happy for him and I hope he wins. I’m rooting for Seattle and I think Seattle’s gonna win. I’ll be rooting for him.”
The Vikings fired General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah on Friday and owner Mark Wilf held a press conference to discuss the move later in the day.
Wilf’s opening statement echoed the team’s statement saying that the decision was made after a lengthy organizational review found that it was in the best interests of the team to move in a different direction. Wilf said that the “totality” of Adofo-Mensah’s four seasons with the team led to the call ahead of what he called a “critical offseason.”
Wilf returned to the big picture when he was asked about the role the team’s 2025 quarterback moves played in the dismissal. The Vikings did not re-sign Sam Darnold, who will start in the Super Bowl for Seattle, or Daniel Jones, who had the Colts in first place before tearing his Achilles, in order to go with 2024 first-round pick J.J. McCarthy. McCarthy struggled on the field and with injuries, which led to Carson Wentz and Max Brosmer making starts during a 9-8 season.
“It’s not necessarily a fair thing to talk about any one decision and that’s the way we approach it,” Wilf said. “It’s a body of work. It’s a cumulative set of decisions. It’s four years of where we’ve been and we as ownership — and I know our fans feel it and our entire organization — feels we need to get to a better place.”
Head coach Kevin O’Connell talked about bringing in competition for McCarthy at his end of season press conference. Executive V.P. of football operations Rob Brzezinski will be leading the personnel department through free agency and the draft, so it will now fall on his shoulders to navigate bringing in that competition and addressing other needs on the roster for 2026.
The Vikings have confirmed the firing of General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah on Friday morning.
Team owners Mark and Zygi Wilf issued a joint statement on Adofo-Mensah’s dismissal, also noting that executive vice president of football operations Rob Brzezinski will handle the team’s personnel through the 2026 draft in April, after which the club will undergo a full search for a new G.M.
“Following our annual end-of-season organizational meetings over the last several weeks and after careful consideration, we have decided it is in the best interest of the team to move forward with new leadership of our football operations,” the Wilfs’ statement reads. “These decisions are never easy. We are grateful for Kwesi’s contributions and commitment to the organization over the past four years and wish him and his family the best in the future.
“Effective immediately, executive vice president of football operations Rob Brzezinski will lead our operations through the 2026 NFL Draft. Rob brings tremendous credibility and experience, understands our roster and has the ability to build consensus and rely on the expertise of our personnel and coaches. After the draft, we intend to conduct a thorough search to identify our next general manager. Building a team that can contend for championships drives us every day, and we look forward to bringing our fans the success they so deserve.”
The Vikings went 43-25 over the last four seasons with Adofo-Mensah and head coach Kevin O’Connell. But the team did not win a postseason game and finished a disappointing 9-8 in 2025 after going 14-3 in 2024.
Nearly four weeks after ending the 2025 season on a five-game winning streak, the Vikings have made a major change to the football operation.
G.M. Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has been fired.
The timing is unusual, to say the least. It implies that ownership engaged in a careful review and deliberation of the missteps that kept a Super Bowl-ready team from making the playoffs, headlined by the ill-fated handling of the quarterback position for 2025.
From our examination of the coming coaching carousel, posted on December 31: “Coach Kevin O’Connell is the right leader for the team. How much leading are they letting him do? Someone bungled the quarterback decision(s) for 2025. We’ve got a feeling that someone wasn’t O’Connell. If that sense is right, O’Connell needs to have more sway in 2026. While that doesn’t necessarily require G.M. Kwesi Adofo-Mensah to be replaced (then again, his draft record has not been flawless), it does require O’Connell to have a larger voice in personnel matters.”
Today’s move suggests that O’Connell will have more power in 2026, especially as it relates to the structure of the quarterback depth chart.
It also suggests that, a year ago, O’Connell didn’t want to let Sam Darnold and Daniel Jones leave in free agency. And that O’Connell perhaps didn’t want to say “no thank you” to Aaron Rodgers. J.J. McCarthy, who missed all of his rookie year with a knee injury, clearly was not ready. The Vikings absolutely needed a veteran backup plan better than signing Carson Wentz less than two weeks before the first game of the regular season.
Arguably, the Vikings should have had a veteran starter, with McCarthy sitting for a year.
Last March, while everyone waited to see what the Vikings would do at quarterback, some who were dealing with the Vikings expressed confusion as to who is calling the shots. This March, that likely won’t be an issue.
Adofo-Mensah was hired four years ago, in the same cycle that saw the purging of former coach Mike Zimmer and former G.M. Rick Spielman and the hiring of O’Connell. Adofo-Mensah received a contract extension after the 2024 season, as did O’Connell.
The Vikings also have announced that executive V.P. of football operations Rob Brzezinski will lead the front office through the draft. The search for a new General Manager will begin thereafter.
The broader question is whether O’Connell will emerge with control over the roster and/or the draft. Could he become, essentially, a Bill Belichick-type coach and de facto G.M., with a V.P. of player personnel or G.M. “light” to assist him?
Regardless, with Darnold getting ready for the Super Bowl and the Vikings nearly a month into the aftermath of another season of unfulfilled expectations, ownership decided that something had to change. And that something was the General Manager.
