Minnesota Vikings

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.

Like anyone else who is paying even the most cursory attention to national events, I saw the video of the killing of Alex Pretti on Saturday by federal ICE officers in Minnesota, less than three weeks after the killing of Renee Good. I decided to wait to mention the incident here until the Vikings, the NFL, or one of the other teams issued a comment on the latest example of the deep divide that has emerged (and/or that has been engineered) among objectively reasonable American citizens of good will and honorable intentions.

Was I confused by the clear disconnect between comments from administration officials and the various available angles of the incident? Who with basic common sense and functioning eyesight wouldn’t be?

I assumed that, sooner or later, someone (starting with the Vikings) would have something to say. But there was, and still is, nothing from the most powerful sports league in the country or any of its teams.

On one hand, it’s not a surprise. No one wants to risk alienating a sizable chunk of the fan base by weighing in, one way or the other. On the other hand, we all saw the video. It was not “domestic terrorism.” Pretti was not an “assassin.” There was no “brandishing” of a weapon. Alex Pretti was exercising his First and Second Amendment rights, which are not mutually exclusive.

Those rights have been exercised countless other times by Americans from all aspects of the political spectrum. Rarely do they lose their lives while doing so.

But I chose to focus on our mission, if for no reason other than to provide an important refuge for those who need a break from the stress and confusion of situations far more important than football. And I assumed, incorrectly, that the league, the Vikings, or one of the other teams would add their voice to the effort to inject some sanity into a situation that feels inherently insane.

On Tuesday, the Fritz Pollard Alliance became the first entity in the entire NFL ecosystem to address the events in Minnesota. The full statement appears below:

“The Fritz Pollard Alliance mourns the tragic loss of life resulting from federal immigration enforcement actions in Minneapolis. We extend our deepest condolences to the families, friends, and loved ones of those whose lives were taken, and to the community now grappling with grief, trauma, and unanswered questions.

“No family should ever receive a knock on the door telling them their loved one is gone as a result of a law-enforcement encounter. These deaths have shaken not only Minneapolis, but millions of people in communities across the country who are watching with growing fear and concern.

“The Fritz Pollard Alliance calls for a full, transparent, and independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding these events. The public deserves clear answers, and families deserve the truth. Accountability is essential to restoring trust and ensuring that such tragedies are not repeated.

“Our organization has long stood for fairness, dignity, and the equal protection of all people. That commitment does not stop at the doors of sport — it extends to every community and every life. Public safety must never come at the expense of human rights or basic humanity.

“We urge federal, state, and local leaders to work together to de-escalate tensions, protect civil liberties, and rebuild trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve, starting with the removal of ICE forces until accountability measures are in place.

“The Fritz Pollard Alliance stands in solidarity with Minneapolis and with all who are demanding justice, transparency, and meaningful reform.”

This should be a time for de-escalation, reconciliation, and accountability. The Department of Homeland Security, based on the premature (and factually incorrect) declarations of its leader, should not be investigating the behavior of its employees.

Those who have divided us and who aspire to keep us at odds with each other should stop, but they won’t. And those of us who have different opinions on any of the various issues fueling the ongoing and deepening divide within our great nation should take a step back and realize that there are rich and powerful forces that want to keep us divided.

Presumably for, above all else, profit.

Still, if we can’t come to a basic agreement as to the disconnect between the indisputable video evidence chronicling the death of Alex Pretti and the predictable attempts to characterize it as something other than it is, we are lost. Our only hope is that those who have the ability and authority to properly shepherd the American flock toward a more promising tomorrow will also have the will to do so.

The Commanders are hiring Vikings defensive passing game coordinator and defensive backs coach Daronte Jones as their new defensive coordinator, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores also interviewed for the job in Washington before agreeing to a new deal with Minnesota.

Jones joined the Vikings’ staff in 2022 as the defensive backs coach, and he added the title of passing game coordinator the following season. He has worked under Vance Joseph, Mike Zimmer and Flores.

Jones has also worked for the Dolphins (2016-17) and the Bengals (2018-19).

He was LSU’s defensive coordinator in 2021.

The Commanders fired defensive coordinator Joe Whitt on Jan. 6, but head coach Dan Quinn had taken over play-calling duties after Week 10. They finished last in yards allowed and 27th in points allowed.

The Cowboys are allowing new defensive coordinator Christian Parker to hire his own staff, something that doesn’t always happen in Dallas.

The Cowboys fired defensive passing game coordinator/safeties coach Andre Curtis, secondary/cornerbacks coach David Overstreet II and linebackers coach Dave Borgonzi, Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News reports.

The Cowboys interviewed Steelers outside linebackers coach Denzel Martin for the same role, Jordan Schultz of Schultz Report reports.

Martin joined the Steelers staff in 2016 and worked his way up to outside linebackers coach.

The Cowboys also interviewed Eagles assistant linebackers coach Ronell Williams, who was the Cowboys’ nickel cornerbacks coach in 2023, Todd Archer of ESPN reports. The team is also interviewing Vikings defensive line coach Marcus Dixon, who was with Parker in Denver.

The Commanders are interviewing another defensive coordinator candidate on Sunday.

Tom Pelissero of NFL Media reports that they are meeting with Vikings defensive passing game coordinator Daronte Jones. Jones has been linked with several other teams looking for defensive coordinators this month, although the Cowboys and Packers have now filled their openings.

Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores also interviewed with the Commanders, but he wound up agreeing to a new deal in Minnesota.

Jones has been on Minnesota’s staff since 2022 and has had his current title since 2023. He was the defensive coordinator at LSU in 2021 and previously worked as a defensive backs coach for the Bengals and Dolphins as well.

Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores, whose scheme helped Minnesota have the No. 3 defense in the league in 2025, apparently won’t be leaving.

Signed to a new contract, subject to a head-coaching opportunity, the recent filling of the Ravens and Steelers jobs means that — barring an unexpected development — Flores will be back with the Vikings in 2026.

Flores had been interviewed by both Baltimore and Pittsburgh. The Ravens hired Jesse Minter, and the Steelers (who loved Flores during his time there in 2022) will be hiring Mike McCarthy.

It’s still possible that Flores will emerge as a candidate for one of the remaining vacancies, with the Raiders, Bills, Cardinals, and Browns. But he has not yet been interviewed for any of those jobs.

Beyond his lawsuit against the NFL and four teams (Dolphins, Giants, Broncos, and Texans), which legally should not be a factor but let’s not be naive, there are questions about Flores’s time with the Dolphins and his time with the Vikings. Recently, former Minnesota assistant Mike Pettine said just enough to confirm the existence of a red flag.

And so it appears Flores will be back with the Vikings, for a fourth season. There’s no doubt that coach Kevin O’Connell thinks highly of Flores. Enough to overcome any friction that may have occurred within the coaching staff.

The scheme works. In 2025, it worked almost well enough to overcome a bottom-five offense to get to the postseason. If the Minnesota offense can improve just a little bit in 2026, the Vikings will continue their trend of making it to the playoffs, roughly every other year.

Mike Pettine retired last week after a long coaching career, most recently as assistant head coach of the Vikings. In Minnesota, he worked alongside defensive coordinator Brian Flores. And Pettine did not enjoy that experience.

Interviewed on the Ultimate Cleveland Sports Show, Pettine was asked what his thoughts are on Flores as a head-coaching candidate.

“Probably not many that I would prefer to share,” Pettine said.

Pettine then elaborated that he and Flores were not on the same page, and that Pettine, who had previously been a defensive coach, began working with the Vikings’ offense because he didn’t work well with Flores.

“I mean we didn’t see eye to eye on a lot of things, and that’s why I spent this past year on offense. I was there in ’23 and ’24 on defense.”

Ultimately, Pettine declined to say much about Flores.

“I’ll take the high road on that one,” Pettine said.

Flores remains a candidate for some NFL head-coaching jobs. It’s safe to say he won’t be listing Pettine as a reference.

The Vikings’ announcement that defensive coordinator Brian Flores has signed a contract extension ultimately has no relevance to his head-coaching prospects with multiple teams.

Per a source with knowledge of the situation, Flores remains in play for the Steelers and Ravens jobs. In theory, he could still emerge as a candidate for vacancies with the Cardinals, Browns, Raiders, and Bills.

Despite the Wednesday night announcement, it’s our understanding that the Flores deal was finalized roughly a week ago. He could have taken a lateral move with another team, given that his contract in Minnesota had expired. The Commanders interviewed him for their vacant defensive coordinator position.

Now, Flores is back under contract in Minnesota. Subject to the possibility that another team will decide to give the former Dolphins head coach his second opportunity to run a team.