Could the Vikings-Commanders result decide Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s future?

"His dedication and forward-thinking approach have been instrumental in shaping our roster and future," Vikings owner Mark Wilf said of Kwesi Adofo-Mensah last summer.

After signing a contract extension, Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah is signed for multiple seasons. | Images Courtesy of the Minnesota Vikings

Having signed a four-year contract extension just six months ago, the seat under Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah might be heating up. According to Charley Walters of the Pioneer Press, there's a chance Adofo-Mensah is fired this week if the Vikings don't beat the Commanders on Sunday.

Walters wrote that "some smart people wouldn’t be shocked if — depending on the level of embarrassment to ownership — Adofo-Mensah were fired next week."

If true, it's a lot of pressure on the 44-year-old general manager, and he won't have any control over what happens between the white lines when the 4-8 Vikings host the 3-9 Commanders. Firing Adofo-Mensah during the season would signal extreme disappointment from owners Zygi and Mark Wilf, who on May 30 gave him a four-year extension and raved about what he's done since being hired in 2022.

"Kwesi's leadership, vision and collaboration with our coaching staff has positioned the Minnesota Vikings for sustained success," Mark Wilf said six months ago. "His dedication and forward-thinking approach have been instrumental in shaping our roster and future, and we are confident that under the guidance of him and Kevin O'Connell, we will continue to compete at the highest level as we pursue a championship for Vikings fans."

Minnesota won 13 games in the first year of the Adofo-Mesnah/O'Connell era, and then rallied for 14 wins in 2024 after a 7-10 2023 season in which Kirk Cousins tore his Achilles and Justin Jefferson missed seven games with a hamstring injury.

But as the regular-season wins have mounted, the Vikings lost on Wild Card Weekend in both trips to the postseason under the current regime. At the same time, Adofo-Mensah is the face of the Vikings' drafts, and he's swung and missed more than he's made contact since taking the reins.

Our very own Will Ragatz wrote after a drubbing in Green Bay two weeks ago that this is the type of season that is going to cost people their jobs, and he followed up after Minnesota's 26-0 loss at Seattle last week by suggesting that if Vikings' ownership doesn't make a big move by letting Adofo-Mensah go, "at least one or two less-prominent leaders will inevitably have to take the fall."

A general manager's job security usually goes as far as the quarterback they draft takes them, and if Minnesota has to punt on J.J. McCarthy in the offseason, or bring in competition because he hasn't established himself as the franchise QB, then it shouldn't be shocking if the Wilfs don't trust Adofo-Mensah to lead the search for the right quarterback.

Will they have made up their minds by about 3 p.m. Sunday? We'll all find out together...