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Midday last Friday brought the news that the Vikings decided to part ways with General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah.

The decision was based on multiple factors and was announced four years and four days after Adofo-Mensah began working in the GM role.

Vikings Owner/President Mark Wilf explained Executive Vice President of Football Operations Rob Brzezinski will be the point person as the personnel department works with the coaching staff to develop a plan for free agency, which opens in mid-March, and the 2026 NFL Draft, which is scheduled for April 23-25.

I appreciated working in the same organization as Adofo-Mensah and the thoughtfulness he consistently implemented when answering my questions for stories, and I genuinely wish him well.

I've also enjoyed working in the same organization as Brzezinski for more than a decade. He just completed his 27^th Vikings season and 33^rd in the NFL. Most people know him as Minnesota's salary cap guru, but his impact on the organization goes well beyond that. This past year, he was chosen by staff to receive the Dennis Ryan Vikings Values Award.

Named in honor of the second Equipment Manager in franchise history who served the organization for 47 years, the award is presented annually to an employee who has demonstrated Vikings Values of "putting the team first, seeking to learn, committing to a diverse, equitable and inclusive environment, exhibiting high character and striving to achieve."

Speaking of folks with extended years of service in the organization, does Harrison Smith have to blow out the candles, or does a quick glance with his eyes extinguish the flame?

Aside from the attempt and putting him in the range of a "Chuck Norris can XYZ" joke, I know I speak for our readership in wishing a happy 37^th birthday to The Hitman.

Let's get to some questions.

Skol, Vikings fans. A big offseason coming up for this organization, and I am happy to hear Mark Wilf reaffirm this team's commitment to championship football.

While I'm never happy to see someone lose their position, I have to believe that this is the right move for the organization. Kwesi's legacy will be helping bring this organization out of a bad salary cap situation while keeping the team competitive. I've heard a lot of negative sentiment toward his results, but Kwesi certainly didn't miss on every draft pick and had an (I would say) solid track record in free agency. Ultimately, however, there were enough misses in the draft, and the big swing for a rookie QB, that hasn't panned out, and that usually results in this kind of outcome.

Hopefully our decision makers have learned from this. We've given up too much draft capital in trades for players that weren't who they thought and have missed on exceptional players that could have changed the trajectory of the team. The teams that have gotten these choices right are the teams competing deep in the postseason.

Hopeful to see what the changes bring.

— MB in Arden Hills

One of the first tasks for Adofo-Mensah was participating in the coaching search that resulted in the hire of Kevin O'Connell.

The two worked together believing the 2021 team was closer to success than achieved and made some moves in free agency and in approach.

The 2022 squad went 13-4 by executing in close moments that were fleeting for the 2021 squad. Despite winning the NFC North, the playoff run didn't happen.

The 2023 team started slowly out of the gate (and with way too many turnovers) but was starting to peak when Kirk Cousins suffered his torn Achilles. It wound up being the first time Minnesota has ever started four quarterbacks in a season.

The 2024 group made more savvy moves in free agency, including the signing of Sam Darnold on a one-year deal, a move that was panned by some and praised by only a few when it was made. Darnold and the offense were able to attack, and the defense was dominant.

In 2025, the Vikings made offers to Darnold and Daniel Jones, but both opted for different teams in free agency. Darnold found the correct landing spot for him and has added to a strong team with few weaknesses, which is why the Seahawks are in Super Bowl LX.

The moves in free agency this past offseason didn't work out as envisioned to the degree that previous moves had.

Unfortunately, of the 10 players selected by the Vikings in the 2022 NFL Draft, only two remained on the roster in 2025. Ty Chandler and Jalen Nailor are scheduled to become free agents. Aggressiveness in the 2024 draft resulted in Minnesota tying a franchise record for fewest picks (five) last year.

Donovan Jackson showed incredibly positive signs for his career trajectory, despite having revolving doors on each side of his left guard position.

The Vikings need to "hit" on more draft picks beginning this year.

In the NFC Championship, 11 of Seattle's 22 starters were selected in the first four rounds of the past four drafts. The Vikings first-teams on offense and defense combined for three players who were selected in the first four rounds of the past four drafts (this includes J.J. McCarthy, Jordan Addison and Jackson but not Dallas Turner).

Good job on re-hiring our great DC. I cannot believe that Brian Flores has not been snapped up by other teams (their loss; our gain). Also, good job in moving on from Kwesi. We need some DRAFT success & now. For those of us concerned about next year's team & thinking ahead, would you educate us about the new, increased "salary cap limit" for all NFL teams, & how much over that limit the Vikings are currently. Then explain how easily the Vikings can get down under that new cap limit (by restructuring contracts, or releasing players, or by retirements). Lastly, could you explain how many & after which round, our likely compensatory pick(s) will be in the coming draft. Go Vikings (in 2026 too).

— Dan in Florida

And …

How much cap gymnastics will the Vikings have to do this offseason? And which players might feel the wrath of unfortunate decisions?

Best regards,

— Ed Helinski in Auburn, New York

I'm combining these two questions since both inquire about the salary cap, which was announced last week as projected to be north of $300 million.

Even with the increase, the Vikings are currently projected about $40 million over by overthecap.com for 2026. This is not unfamiliar territory for Minnesota, which has previously implemented contract restructures (including transferring to signing bonuses) or cuts.

I mentioned Brzezinki's role in the salary cap. Many around the league would put him on a podium for a medal ceremony based on the way he's helped Minnesota navigate cap dynamics.

The Wilf family has consistently committed to pursuing a championship, from investing in Twin Cities Orthopedics Performance Center to signing off on financial contracts to push the cap limits.

A recent example of a retirement affecting a team's salary cap occurred in May 2025 when former Saints QB Derek Carr completed his career before his final contract expired. NOLA.com explained those impacts, which included cap relief.

Rather than name any players specifically, which would be getting over my skis (and I don't water, snow or even jet ski), candidates for cap-influenced decisions could be impacted by guaranteed money remaining, cap hit, years remaining and potential future impact on the team.

Regarding comp picks, it is widely believed the Vikings will be in line for at least one comp pick from Darnold's departure. I've seen projections for that one being in the third round.

The NFL will announce those later this offseason after the NFL Management Council uses its proprietary formula to factor salaries, playing time and postseason honors.

The value of the compensatory free agents gained or lost by each team is totaled, and a team is awarded picks of equal value to the net loss of compensatory free agents, up to a maximum of four.

Although there has been talk about GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah's previous drafting skills, I didn't see this one coming. I cringed a little when former GM Rick Spielman was fired because, all-in-all, I believe he did pretty good with the draft, and I do miss those draft days when "Trader Rick" made numerous trades either up or down the board. Hopefully the Vikings will score a touchdown and a 2-pointer with their new GM.

Skol,

— David Bond in Rochester, Minnesota

I was able to speak with Spielman when he attended Paul Wiggin's funeral last month. In addition to paying tribute to a wonderful man, the day offered appreciated reunion opportunities.

Spielman's first ever draft pick was Adrian Peterson, whose candidacy for the Pro Football Hall of Fame will open next year. He also added quite a bit of excitement by trading back into first rounds to nab Harrison Smith (2012), Cordarrelle Patterson (2013) and Teddy Bridgewater (2014). He'd be the first to tell you the Vikings didn't hit on as many picks as he would have hoped, but it wasn't for his lack of ability to navigate the board.

Adofo-Mensah seemed to approach each draft as its own entity, trading down multiple times in 2022 and then trading up twice in the first round in 2024.

Wow, that was a surprise that GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah was fired on Jan. 30. On top his vacancy to fill, the Vikings front office has five coaching positions to fill as well: assistant head coach, offensive line, defensive backs/passing game coordinator, defensive line and safeties. They have a lot to do with only a little bit over a month before free agency opens up (March 9 is the negotiation period), then a month-and-a-half later the NFL Draft (April 23-25). They have a lot on their hands, filling the coaching positions, what area of need to address in free agency, what areas to address in the draft, and then find Adofo-Mensah's replacement.

May the 2026 season be a lot better than 2025. Let's go Vikings.

— Matt from Cedar Rapids, Iowa

There's been some reporting since Matt sent his email regarding the potential filling of assistant coach openings. We aren't in position to comment on those yet, but we will keep you posted and help introduce newcomers to Vikings fans when we can.

Matt lays out the upcoming calendar. The only change made to Minnesota's personnel department was parting with Adofo-Mensah, who had retained many of the people who had previously worked under Spielman.

This core of people in the personnel department (pro and college scouting) and Minnesota's coaching staff (Flores entered the NFL in New England's personnel department) will work together as Brzezinski leads the group to consensus decisions.

Mark Wilf said the Vikings will keep options open for what they decide to do with the GM role, but it's helpful for all involved to focus on free agency and the draft before the organization then focuses more directly on the GM position.

I'm happy to see Sam Darnold in the Super Bowl, but for Vikings fans or brass think we would actually be there ourselves if we kept Darnold is ridiculous, given the state of the OL all year. Doubtful Darnold would have been much better behind that line.

— Gary in Minneapolis

And …

I like Sam Darnold, but I am getting tired of the rhetoric about how the Vikings screwed up by not signing him. Darnold is a good, not a great QB. The reason Seattle is in the Super Bowl has more to do with their defense and not Darnold. Was he good this year? Yes, but so was Joe Flacco when he won. The reality was that if the Vikings had signed Darnold for the same money Seattle did, it would have put them in an impossible salary cap position that would have hampered their ability to improve the team for at least several years or more. They wouldn't have been able to extend player contracts or sign their own free agents, let alone sign free agents available. Based on his improvement demonstrated in the last five games, I think J.J. McCarthy will be fine. Tom Brady and Brett Favre had mechanical issues that needed to be corrected at the beginning of their careers. O'Connell will be able to correct much of this in the offseason. I hope Darold wins himself a Super Bowl, but I think the Vikings management made a good decision.

— Jerry Carrier in Lakeville, Minnesota

And …

Offensive line, if we could've corrected that last year and kept Darnold we'd be in the position that Seattle is in now, but the fact is the offensive line did not get any better. The money was spent on that, so Darnold was expendable.

— Richard T.

And …

Congratulations to Sam!! He has become a Blue Chip QB1!!!

We (Minnesota Vikings) let him walk. If you compare the Seahawks to the Vikings, the teams are not much different other than QB. Squandered 2025....

— Jamie & Debbie Doherty in Dallas, Georgia

It's nice to see many people are happy for Darnold, especially with what he went through early in his career, even if they are also contemplating what might have been.

I've mentioned before that there were instances when any quarterback would have struggled to overcome what was happening elsewhere within a play or within stretches of a game, but prior experience in those settings should not be discounted.

Unfortunately, Darnold's final two games last season were not at the level requisite of winning a Super Bowl. He missed some opportunities in the red zone at Detroit, and the offense struggled with pass protection in the playoff game against the Rams.

After deciding not to use the franchise tag on Darnold, which would have been expensive but provided McCarthy a healthy year of developing behind the scenes, the Vikings made an offer and then hedged against Darnold possibly leaving with an offer to Jones, but the latter correctly viewed a great opportunity to win the starting job with the Colts.

Seattle's run game was consistently better than Minnesota in 2025 and complemented Darnold's ability to strike on deep passes under Klint Kubiak, whose first job as an OC was with the Vikings in 2021. The Seahawks defense offers a nice blend under Head Coach Mike Macdonald, and their special teams are also strong.

It's a really great team. We'll find out in less than a week if it's a championship squad.

Something I tire of seeing in social media is the constant bag on J.J. I know a lot of it is opinion bias and people that still see the trees and not the forest. How would K.O. feel about just dumping J.J. and bringing in [Joe] Burrow or another crazy trade idea to get Lamar Jackson? I just don't see a trade happening since it goes against the very core thought: "Organizations often fail young QBs before young QBs fail organizations." Watching everything come together at the end of the year with almost everyone healthy was great! I'm really excited for next year. I get the sense that the competition for the QB1 position is important, as well as a veteran QB to help and guide J.J. If K.O. and the organization decide to part ways with J.J., would you then address whose failures it was, organization or QB?

Tired of fair-weather fans,

Warmest regards,

— Randy from Utah

To me, it seems like few have entered the league with as much scrutiny as McCarthy, but Darnold could probably trade notes with the best of 'em. Part of it is the success McCarthy had in college, part is the fact he was a top-10 pick who has had fewer on-field opportunities than the other five QBs taken in the 2024 draft, part of it is the fact the 2024 Vikings won 14 games, and I think at least some part of it is how engaged and interested Vikings fans are.

O'Connell did espouse his belief about organizations failing young QBs before young QBs fail organizations, and I think that can be proven in multiple markets this century.

After six seasons with Cousins and then one with Darnold as the Week 1 starter, there was quite an experience gap at an incredibly important position.

We have reached a point with social media posts where it is sometimes hard to decipher if a "report" is legitimate, if there's an intense interest of offers getting floated between teams or if it's a situation involving due diligence that might be getting exaggerated/mentioned to try to drive up the price for another suitor.

I generally place criticism on the team by fans as coming from places of love and passion, as well as the desire to bask in the ultimate glory. There were several good moments McCarthy can build on and there were several bad ones he needs to avoid in future seasons.

If the Vikings were to really improve the quality of the interior O-line how much more production do you think the run game and pass protection will be with the 2025 RBs and J.J. McCarthy's success and health? One more win could have had us watching at least one more game. Also, a MAJOR sigh of relief of retaining Flores. C'mon guys! After almost 60 years of lovin' the Purple, I want to see them win a Super Bowl before I go.

— Jason G. in Gallipolis, Ohio

I mentioned Jackson earlier as being an encouraging building block. Will Fries played all 17 games after suffering a broken leg with Indy in 2024.

Under best-case scenarios, Christian Darrisaw will be back to his pre-torn-ACL level in 2026 on the left side and Brian O'Neill won't deal with as much as he battled through at right tackle, which included getting landed on while on field goal protect against Pittsburgh (the ugly end of a play that should have been a penalty on the Steelers).

The pivot will be the biggest question mark. Ryan Kelly is under contract, but it remains to be seen what happens with him after he endured placement in concussion protocol three times in his first season as a Viking. Behind Kelly, the Vikings have Michael Jurgens and Blake Brandel, the latter of whom might offer the biggest impact by continuing in the versatile backup role.

Kelly's experience and talent (he is a four-time Pro Bowler, after all) were sought by Minnesota as it transitioned to starting McCarthy.

Keeping B. Flo was huge! Now, can we get one more season and I dare say a Super Bowl for Harry the Hitman? We can dream right? Need to get the "MOVING" back in the Minnesota Moving Company! SKOL.

— Rick O. in Stillwater, Oklahoma

I've wondered if Flores' return to the Vikings makes it more likely that Smith comes back again for his 15^th NFL season. We will keep you posted.

We need to hit on this year's draft. I think most glaringly we need CB, C and, dare I say it, RB. Getting a CB like Mansoor Delane (LSU) would tighten up the outside, and a C, Logan Jones (Iowa), would strengthen the middle. We played ourselves out of a top-10 pick, but the Vikings need to hit on players outside the first round, or we will be stuck in the middle of the pack for the foreseeable future.

— Jared in Ankeny, Iowa

We've released one Mock Draft Tracker so far, and the early forecasts often featured cornerback as the position Minnesota would address in the first round.

Delane was among the prospects floated to Minnesota (by ESPN's Mel Kiper, Jr.). The others mentioned in this early stage were Jermod McCoy from Tennessee, Brandon Cisse from South Carolina and Avieon Terrell from Clemson.

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