Former Vikings GM Left NFL World In ‘Disbelief’ After Taking Paternity Leave

The Vikings fired general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah on Friday, surprisingly deciding to move on from him weeks after their season came to an end.

There were a number of factors that contributed to concerns surrounding Adofo-Mensah and ultimately played a part in his dismissal, from his poor drafting track record to questions about the team’s ceiling with him at the helm.

Per The Athletic’s Dianna Russini and Alec Lewis, Adofo-Mensah also rubbed some across the NFL the wrong way when he spent two weeks away from the Vikings on paternity leave after the birth of his first child during training camp. Though Adofo-Mensah continued working remotely during this time and the Vikings were publicly supportive, his decision to be away was met with “disbelief” by other coaches and general managers.

Despite taking time off for paternity leave being the norm, the NFL too often sees coaches, executives and players miss out on the births so they can continue to work.

There’s been a lot of conversation around Kwesi Adofo-Mensah taking paternity leave, largely because it’s still rare in the NFL.

But it’s important to note that the Minnesota Vikings supported him through the entire process and did not hold it against him in any way.

This was a… pic.twitter.com/b5D6V8svBI
— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) February 1, 2026

Ultimately though, Adofo-Mensah’s firing came after he didn’t get the quarterback position right. The Vikings infamously opted against re-signing Sam Darnold after leading them to a 14-3 season, and Darnold is now heading to the Super Bowl with the Seahawks. According to The Athletic, there were concerns within the Vikings last spring about if J.J. McCarthy was ready to become the starting quarterback, particularly after a torn meniscus during his rookie season proved to be an immense challenge mentally.

The Vikings also missed out on bringing back Daniel Jones and went against signing veteran Aaron Rodgers. Despite weighing the fits of Joe Flacco and Ryan Tannehill, they instead traded for Sam Howell and then brought in Carson Wentz after Howell didn’t earn the team’s trust.

With McCarthy suffering an ankle injury two weeks into the season and enduring growing pains upon his return, the Vikings began the season 4-8, a steep drop off from their 2024 campaign. The Vikings did win five straight at the end of the year to close on a strong note, but they fell well short of what they felt they were capable of, largely because of the quarterback position.

Looking ahead, the Vikings are not planning to replace Adofo-Mensah until after the draft but are planning to bring in competition for McCarthy.

More NFL on Sports Illustrated