New Theory Claims Kevin O’Connell Was Overruled at QB
Ever wonder why the Minnesota Vikings maintained a skimpy quarterback room last offseason? One idea this week claimed head coach Kevin O’Connell didn’t get what he wanted — in the way of Sam Darnold, Daniel Jones, or Aaron Rodgers.
Mike Florio connected the dots, and Minnesota’s old QB setup still invites second-guessing.
Until the 2025 NFL Draft, Minnesota had only Brett Rypien on its depth chart behind J.J. McCarthy, and that might’ve been on purpose and to O’Connell’s chagrin.
The Vikings’ QB Timeline Supports Florio’s Theory
More quasi-proof that Kwesi Adofo-Mensah was “in the way.”
Mike Florio: O’Connell Overruled at QB in 2025
Florio, a lifelong Vikings fan and the editor of ProFootballTalk.com, advanced the theory last week.
He said, “As I understand it, O’Connell got overruled. He wanted to have Sam Darnold or Daniel Jones or Aaron Rodgers, and he got overruled. They said no to Rodgers. Rodgers wanted to play for them last year, and they said no. They’re sticking with J.J. McCarthy. And Jones is really the one that I think gulled O’Connell the most, because I think they thought they had something special with Jones.”
“They fired the GM because he had Sam Darnold, Daniel Jones, and an interested Aaron Rodgers in the building, and he said, ” No, we’re good with J.J. McCarthy, and Max Brosmer and Carson Wentz are gonna be his backups. They’re not going to make the same mistake twice.”
As far as explanations go, this one is quite reasonable to explain Adofo-Mensah’s abrupt termination at the end of January.
Success of the “Other Guys”
In Seattle, Darnold fully and unabashedly reclaimed his career, compounding his 2024 success in Minnesota with another solid year for the Seahawks, which resulted in a Super Bowl win, something that has notoriously eluded the Vikings for 65 years.
For the Colts, Jones played like an MVP candidate before tailing off in November and later succumbing to a torn Achilles tendon. Credible reporting later suggested that Minnesota thought it had a real shot to bring Jones back in 2025, though he picked Indianapolis over Minnesota because he believed he could start on Shane Steichen’s team. He was right.
And — Rodgers’s Steelers reached the postseason, even if the club lost in Round 1. That was Mike Tomlin’s final act as Pittsburgh’s coach. Rodgers and Co. still got to the playoffs while the Vikings were one win short.
If Florio is correct, every lever O’Connell wanted to pull would’ve been correct.
Adofo-Mensah Fired in January
In addition to a horrid draft resume, the Vikings’ quarterback decision-making drew ire in January after Darnold and the Seahawks won the NFC Championship over the Los Angeles Rams. National media relentlessly mocked the Vikings’ front office — how could a team possibly let Darnold leave after a season with 4,319 passing yards and 35 touchdowns?
Well, Adofo-Mensah did precisely that, and on January 30th, the ill-fated choice caught up with him, terminated by his employer three and a half weeks after the regular season ended.
Purple Insider‘s Matthew Coller said in January about the timing of firing Adofo-Mensah, “There were other executives around the league, in 2023 into 2024, who were preparing their applications, who were preparing their resumes, who were getting their agents ready to go to the Minnesota Vikings to present their clients as potential general manager fits.”
“It’s not some scandal or anything; it’s more of just a communication connection between him, the rest of the front office, the belief from the coaching staff, and the rest of the front office.”
Adofo-Mensah also hit on just 15%-20% of draft picks, leaving Minnesota with one of the NFL’s oldest rosters right now.
Florio’s argument makes sense with the timing of Adofo-Mensah’s termination.
A Deep QB Room This Time
The good news? The Vikings are not on track to make the same mistake twice.
McCarthy is still in the mix and will enter Year No. 3 with hopes of redeeming himself and staying healthy. He’s missed 70% of all NFL games. Minnesota also signed two-time Pro Bowler Kyler Murray away from the Arizona Cardinals, and he’s actually on tap to start in September, so long as McCarthy does not score an unforeseen upset.
Four days ago, O’Connell signed Wentz, last year’s QB2, for $3 million to presumably hold down the QB3 job.
Last year’s QBs at this time:
- J.J. McCarthy
- Brett Rypien
Now:
- Kyler Murray
- J.J. McCarthy
- Carson Wentz
- Max Brosmer
A deep quarterback room was not a priority in the 2025 offseason. That might’ve cost Adofo-Mensah his job, according to Florio. This time, with O’Connell as the default team CEO, Minnesota has the NFL’s deepest QB room.
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