Rival coach ponders how Sam Darnold’s NFC Championship gem led to Vikings GM’s firing

The Minnesota Vikings must be left wishing that Sam Darnold was still their quarterback. Minnesota let Darnold walk in free agency, and he immediately made the Super Bowl with Seattle. That big mistake from Minnesota’s front office may have already had one huge consequence.

The Vikings made the shocking decision to fire general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah after four seasons in Minnesota.

According to The Athletic’s Mike Sando, one rival coach posed the question of whether Darnold’s impressive performance in the NFC Championship cost Kwesi his job.

“The key to me is, Darnold playing like that in the playoffs, making elite throws for touchdowns,” a coach from another team said, per Sando. “He is hurt, he’s a stud, he does the interviews, does not overdo it to the sideline reporter after the game. Everyone watches the playoffs. The Wilfs are just sitting there watching that, and that is too bad for Kwesi.”

In a prior article, Sando himself asked: “How long before the Wilfs summon the team’s football decision-makers to their New Jersey offices for a little self-scouting?”

Apparently it did not take long at all.

Sando pointed out that Minnesota’s decision to fire Kwesi comes just eight months after handing him a multi-year contract extension. That seems to feed the narrative that Darnold’s postseason success may have contributed to Minnesota’s decision.

However, Sando made it clear that Darnold’s performance was not the only factor at play in Kwesi’s firing.

He also reported that sources have suggested, for multiple seasons, that “there was trouble” in the relationship between Adofo-Mensah and Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell.

There’s also the recent reporting about Kwesi’s paternity leave back in 2023 causing some friction too.

Either way, the Vikings now have to find their next general manager.

Minnesota is rumored to be considering a few interesting names to replace Adofo-Mensah. They include Minnesota’s vice president of football operations Rob Brzezinski and Broncos GM George Paton.

The Vikings are counting on QB J.J. McCarthy to blossom during the 2026 season. Otherwise the decision to move on from Darnold will look even worse.

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