'Complete Nonsense': Pelissero Slams Rumors About Kwesi Adofo-Mensah's Firing

The odd timing of Kwesi Adofo-Mensah's abrupt firing by the Vikings last week left many wondering what went down behind the scenes. Speculation and rumors have run rampant in the days following the shocking decision, with many speculating that a toxic atmosphere and growing disagreements between the powers-that-be led to the firing. However, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, that's not exactly the case.

"I've seen other complete nonsense out there, quite frankly, this week that they were getting ready to trade J.J. McCarthy and Kwesi pulled the plug, there was a toxic environment between Kwesi and Kevin (O'Connell). None of that is true," said Pelissero on Tuesday's Rich Eisen Show.

💻 @TomPelissero

Why did the @Vikings make a move at GM last week? And why now for an offseason shakeup?#NFL #SuperBowl #SKOL pic.twitter.com/7TRDpmRbUC
— Rich Eisen Show (@RichEisenShow) February 3, 2026

One question that arose was whether Sam Darnold leading Seattle to the Super Bowl a year after the Vikings let him walk led to the decision to fire Adofo-Mensah. There was also a rumor making the rounds on social media that Adofo-Mensah nixed a supposed McCarthy trade to the Raiders last offseason. Then there have been reports about the atmosphere inside TCO Performance Center over the past couple of years, including rumblings that Adofo-Mensah was "never truly accepted" and that the now-former GM's decision to take paternity leave during training camp in 2023 raised eyebrows across the league.

"I can tell you that, objectively speaking, as somebody who is pretty wired into the NFL, and specifically wired into the workings of the Minnesota Vikings," continued Pelissero, "Kevin O'Connell and Kwesi Adofo-Mensah are friends. They never had a personal issue. There were things they did not see eye-to-eye on. They had disagreements. Certainly, the way that things played out at the quarterback position was not ideal for anyone."

"Really, when it came down to the firing of Kwesi, it was a lot of different things in totality," Pelissero continued. "They don't have a quarterback answer. They have a salary cap issue that they have to clean up. The drafts on the whole — there were certainly hits in there, Jordan Addison was a big one, kicker Will Reichard was one — there have been good picks, there have been some that didn't work out. They had to figure out what the path was forward."

Speaking to the media last Friday, Vikings co-owner Mark Wilf said it wasn't any one decision that led to Adofo-Mensah's dismissal, but that after looking at the situation "cumulatively," the organization didn't feel comfortable moving forward with the current leadership.

"The Wilfs always hold these meetings a couple weeks after the season to have everyone take a breath and go out there," Pelissero explained. "Seems like the Wilfs asked some pointed questions. They heard very honest answers from multiple people and decided there wasn't a path forward for this particular group. So, Rob Brzezenski, who is a highly respected executive, is going to run this thing through the draft. Kevin O'Connell is certainly going to be leaned upon more in the free agency process, and the draft process, than they probably were in the past. They'll run a GM search after that and we'll see where that leads."

Recommended reading