Sam Darnold‘s redemtpion arc started with a season in the Minnesota Vikings. Now, he is heading to a Super Bowl with the Seattle Seahawks while his former general manager has been relieved from his duties.
In what can be defined as a plot twist, Adam Schefter of ESPN reported that the Minnesota Vikings fired GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah with immediate effect. Adofo-Mensah signed an extension just last offseason.
Adofo-Mensah was not regarded as a GM in the hot seat by any means. Now, the Vikings will have to reassess. There is a feeling that Adofo-Mensah’s busts were higher than their booms.
Apparently, there was chaos within the building
Schefter also reported that “Throughout the season, there was talk about an underlying “tension” in the Vikings’ building in league circles. One league source said it had been “ugly” in Minnesota.”
Also, there has been talk about the distaste within the building about letting Sam Darnold go and trusting JJ McCarthy. The Vikings went from 14-3 to 9-8 and out of the playoffs. The season was even worse than what the record states. The Vikings ended on a five-game winning streak. During that streak, they only faced one playoff team, and it was the Packers in Week 18, where they benched plenty of their starters.
The Vikings have plenty to work with
This is a good job. The Vikings already have the talent on the roster, the coaching staff, and a good overall core. Now, they just need for their new GM to solve the quarterback issue. A decent QB takes this team all the way to a contender. Hence, it’s a tough but high-rewarding task to fulfill.
After all, they had Sam Darnold before. The jury is still out with JJ McCarthy, although there have been more negatives than positives. Still, it remains to be seen if the new general manager comes to clean house, or to put the final touches on a very good roster.