Why the Cleveland Browns Should Bring Back Kwesi Adofo-Mensah

News of Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s firing from the Minnesota Vikings on Friday sent shockwaves across the NFL’s front offices given the time at which it occurred, one month after the end of the regular season.

Source: Vikings fired GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. pic.twitter.com/CexjlJ1p19
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 30, 2026

However, one team’s trash could very well become another team’s treasure, and Adofo-Mensah could become a desirable addition for any club looking to reinforce its analytics department.

Should the Cleveland Browns be one of the teams interested in hiring Adofo-Mensah?

Absolutely.

Remember, Adofo-Mensah already worked for Cleveland in 2020 and 2021 before taking on the General Manager role in Minnesota. During his time with the Browns, he fulfilled a Vice President of Football Operations role under current General Manager Andrew Berry, and former Chief Strategy Officer Paul DePodesta.

In other words, it was his work with the Browns that catapulted him to lead the Vikings front office.

Before Cleveland, Afodo-Mensah worked with the San Francisco 49ers under General Managers Trent Baalke and John Lynch.

During Adofo-Mensah’s lone draft with the Browns, in 2021, the team picked up cornerback Greg Newsome II, linebacker Jeremiah Owuso-Koramoah, offensive tackle James Hudson and defensive tackle Tommy Togiai. The team also signed a few free agents that did well in Cleveland, including Jadeveon Clowney and Malik Jackson.

Can Adofo-Mensah help the Browns?

The main reason Adofo-Mensah is out in Minnesota, is that the team didn’t play to the level of its expectations in relation to the team’s perceived quality. In other words, Adofo-Mensah built a team that should be playing better than it is.

Sure, the Vikings apparently whiffed big with their quarterback situation, letting Sam Darnold walk while betting everything on J.J. McCarthy, but the rest of the roster is solid and playoff-worthy.

On the other hand, the Browns roster needs a lot of work, especially along the offensive line. There’s an alarming lack of depth in most positions, and special teams haven’t been really special lately. And, we’re not even discussing quarterbacks, yet.

Cleveland’s principal owner Jimmy Haslam decided to press the reset button on the franchise, dismissing Kevin Stefanski after six seasons, and now the team faces an uphill trek as they need to replace head coach and, quite possibly, all three coordinator positions, depending on what Jim Schwartz decides to do.

Haslam held on to Berry as the general manager, tapping him to lead the search for a new head coach, and leaning on him for continuity’s sake, but Berry could very well use the help of a trusted former employee with ample general manager experience during the team’s most recent rebuild. Add the fact that DePodesta left the Browns two months ago, and there definitely could be a place for Adofo-Mensah in Berea.

The team’s rebuild will take time, but getting the right people in the decision-making roles is paramount for future success. Adofo-Mensah may have failed in Minnesota by not bringing a Lombardi trophy to the Twin Cities, but nothing quite as what fans in Cleveland are used to seeing from Haslam’s team, over and over again.