It looked like business as usual for the Vikings’ front office early in the winter. On the heels of a disappointing 9-8 campaign, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah met with the media on Jan. 13 to discuss the upcoming offseason. At the time, sources inside and outside the organization believed his job was safe, according to an ESPN report. But Vikings owners Zygi Wilf and Mark Wilf were discussing Adofo-Mensah’s future behind the scenes, and they elected to fire him on Jan. 30.
Almost four full months since they moved on from Adofo-Mensah, the Vikings have not named a replacement. That was the plan all along, as they indicated upon firing Adofo-Mensah that a search would begin after the draft in late April.
Executive vice president of football operations Rob Brzezinski led the Vikings’ front office through the most important parts of the offseason as their interim GM. He is now one of five finalists for Adofo-Mensah’s old job, joining outside assistant GMs Reed Burckhardt (Broncos), Terrance Gray (Bills), John McKay (Rams) and Nolan Teasley (Seahawks).
The Vikings are likely to hire someone within a “couple of weeks,” per The Athletic’s Alec Lewis, who leaves the door open for the team changing its power structure. That is something the Wilfs have been reluctant to do. If it happens, though, it may mean promoting Brzezinski to a president of football operations-type role and hiring, in Lewis’ words, a “personnel guy” to work under him. The Falcons did that earlier in the offseason when they created a president of football position for Matt Ryan and brought in Ian Cunningham as their GM.
If Minnesota takes a similar tack, it is worth pointing out Burckhardt and Gray are former Vikings employees who have past working experience with Brzezinski. That might give either a leg up if the plan is to keep Brzezinski, who has been in the Vikings’ front office since 1999. Sources believe Brzezinski will stick around in some capacity, Lewis reports.
Turning to on-field matters, Brzezinski and head coach Kevin O’Connell saw starting center Ryan Kelly retire before free agency began in early March. Kelly had another season left on his two-year, $18MM deal, but the longtime Colt walked away in the wake of a concussion-filled 2025. The Vikings considered addressing the position in free agency and the early rounds of the draft, Lewis notes, but nothing came together. The inactivity at center is a positive development for holdover Blake Brandel, who is the favorite to take over for Kelly.
A Viking since they selected him in the sixth round of the 2020 draft, the versatile Brandel has played all over the line and picked up 31 starts in 73 appearances. He hasn’t missed a game since 2022, but last year was the first time Brandel primarily lined up at center. With Kelly out for most of the season, Brandel made nine starts and finished as Pro Football Focus’ 23rd-ranked center among 37 qualifiers. The Vikings seem confident in Brandel’s chances of holding down center on a full-time basis. Otherwise, they would have done more than add Gavin Gerhardt, whom they drafted in the seventh round.