A Weird New Vikings Controversy Is Brewing
The 2026 NFL Combine starts this week, and ordinarily, the team’s general manager — formerly Kwesi Adofo-Mensah — and head coach Kevin O’Connell formally speak with reporters at the podium in Indianapolis, along with several NFL general managers and head coaches. This go-round, interim boss Rob Brzezinski and O’Connell are not scheduled to do so.
Minnesota’s leadership isn’t doing the usual Combine podium tour, and the shift has fans and media asking why.
And, of course, no Vikings general manager or coach at the podium has sparked a miniature controversy — why aren’t they facing the media?
Leaguewide Trend toward Controlled Messaging at Combine
Add another strange tidbit to the Vikings’ offseason.
No Brzezinski or O’Connell Questions per Usual at The Combine
A to Z Sports‘ Tyler Forness was first to make the observation, tweeting Friday, “Kevin O’Connell and Rob Brzezinski won’t be talking at the NFL Scouting Combine next week.”
Forness covers the Vikings daily and evidently found it odd that Minnesota has changed its media strategy.
Vikings.com’s Craig Peters added context a few days prior, “O’Connell and Brzezinski are planning to participate in separate on-the-record sessions with Twin Cities media members who travel to Indianapolis. Vikings.com will have editorial and video coverage from Indianapolis. The programming will include interviews with Vikings Head Coach Kevin O’Connell and Executive Vice President of Football Operations Rob Brzezinski, who was selected to guide the team’s offseason efforts after Minnesota parted ways with former General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah.”
“Paul Allen and Pete Bercich will broadcast 9 to Noon from Indianapolis on Tuesday and Wednesday. Listen live on KFAN 100.3-FM or visit kfan.com (or listen in the iHeart app).”
A Change in Direction with Adofo-Mensah?
So, what’s going on here? Foremost, the Vikings always have the general manager and head coach speak in an official capacity with reporters at the Combine. You’re not losing your mind.
The only thing that would make sense about a change is the subtraction of Adofo-Mensah. Minnesota’s ownership fired him on January 30th — five days after Sam Darnold’s Seattle Seahawks won the NFC Championship — leaving the franchise general manager-less until after the draft, or so they claimed.
Some combination of authority involving the Wilfs, Brzezinski, O’Connell, and Brian Flores is running the show in the meantime, and without Adofo-Mensah, there is no single voice to speak for general management operations. Therefore, the Vikings apparently decided not to have anyone speak in front of NFL reporters, leaving the local media as their outlet this go-round.
In all likelihood, the Vikings will hire an official general manager sometime in May or June, and at the next Combine, that person will answer reporters’ questions.
Some Teams’ Leaders Don’t Go at All
Skipping the NFL Combine — not going at all — is a growing trend as of late. The Los Angeles Rams started the party not long ago, sending no general manager or head coach to Indianapolis. This year, Rams leaders won’t be there, nor will any Jacksonville Jaguars.
ESPN’s Michael DiRocco explained the Jaguars’ non-participation last week, “All those workouts, the weight lifting, on the field, that will be taped and sent back to every single team, so the Jaguars don’t feel like their brass needs to be in Indianapolis.”
“They can evaluate the players based on what they see on the film, and they’d rather rely on their scouting reports and the information their scouts have gathered on the players over the last several years.”
Because the Rams won a Super Bowl in 2021 and have habitually made the playoffs since, no one cares that Les Snead and Sean McVay skip the event in Indianapolis. It’s just that Vikings leaders usually speak, so when the team pulled them from the usual rotation, fans raised eyebrows.
Some fans used social media to call the Vikings words like “cowards” and “gutless” — but that’s pretty much par for the course on Twitter and Facebook.
Vikings as Key Players at Combine
Minnesota holds the 18th pick in April’s draft, meaning a tentative draftboard might look like this based on team need and the best player available:
- Aveion Terrell (CB, Clemson)
- Brandon Cisse (CB, South Carolina)
- Caleb Banks (DT, Florida)
- CJ Allen (LB, Georgia)
- Colton Hood (CB, Tennessee)
- Dillon Thieneman (S, Oregon)
- Emmanuel McNeil-Warren (S, Toledo)
- Jermod McCoy (CB, Tennessee)
- Jordyn Tyson (WR, Arizona State)
- Kayden McDonald (DT, Ohio State)
- KC Concepcion (WR, Texas A&M)
- Kenyon Sadiq (TE, Oregon)
- Makai Lemon (WR, USC)
- Mansoor Delane (CB, LSU)
- Peter Woods (DT, Clemson)
- Sonny Styles (LB, Ohio State)
Most of those men will be in Indianapolis, strutting their stuff.
When Brzezinski and O’Connell speak to local reporters, expect both men to be asked about the quarterback position right away — the Vikings are in the market for a passer to pair with J.J. McCarthy this offseason.
The NFL Draft is 59 days away.
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