Vikings Misses and Myths: The Price of Malik Willis, the Combine, Kwesi’s Termination
The Minnesota Vikings’ offseason is set to turn white hot in eight days, as free agency gets underway with “legal tampering.” In the meantime, we turn to our weekly Nopedy Nopes segment to set the record straight on a few items.
Some of it is real; most of it is loud offseason fodder that keeps finding oxygen.
Nopedy Nopes are items in the Vikings’ orbit that didn’t work out, are not true, or are just too outlandish to believe.
A Familiar Week of Quarterback Noise and Front Office Drama
Have a gander at the false, wrong, stuff that didn’t work out for the Vikings this week.
The Nopedy Nope: The Vikings will be able to afford Malik Willis at $30 million to $35 million per season.
Don’t expect a prove-it contract for Willis if NFL insider Jordan Schultz is on to something.
Schultz posted to X Wednesday, “Packers free agent QB Malik Willis is in demand, as expected, and interested teams I’ve spoken to at the Combine in Indianapolis believe him getting at least $30M per year is a foregone conclusion.”
Recent quarterback contracts, such as those of Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield, initially suggested Malik Willis might command around $20–25 million annually. However, the Schultz report significantly alters that perception.
As the free agency legal tampering window opens on March 9th, the Vikings face a substantial challenge, currently sitting $45 million over the salary cap. This necessitates tricky and meaty decisions, likely involving player cuts or significant contract restructures, to achieve cap compliance.
Acquiring a quarterback with a $30 million price tag would require a massive financial overhaul, forcing the Vikings to free up approximately $75 million — a considerable hurdle given their existing cap constraints.
Furthermore, Minnesota missed an opportunity last offseason to secure a quarterback by making a substantial offer. A deal in the $30 million range could have retained Darnold, but the team opted for a different strategy.
The Verdict: Nopedy nope on a team over the salary cap by $43 million spending $30 million or $35 million on a quarterback.
The Nopedy Nope: Kevin O’Connell and Rob Brzezinski declined to speak with national reporters at the NFL Combine, so something funky is brewing.
A to Z Sports’ Tyler Forness discovered no O’Connell or Brzezinski speaking to reporters as usual, tweeting Friday, “Kevin O’Connell and Rob Brzezinski won’t be talking at the NFL Scouting Combine next week.”
Forness covers the Vikings religiously and thought it strange 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).”
When The Combine began, O’Connell and Brzezinski spoke with local reporters, and in fact, were even more revealing about their offseason strategy than in years past.
The Verdict: Nopedy nope on the Vikings hoping to duck all media at The Combine.
The Nopedy Nope: The Vikings fired Kwesi Adofo-Mensah because of his paternity leave and his relationship with Kevin O’Connell.
Speaking on ESPN’s Get Up show, Peter Schrager laid out Adofo-Mensah’s termination: “This was a 14-win team a year ago, and they fired their GM less than 12 months later. And it’s not because of paternity leaves or the relationship with Kevin O’Connell.”
“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 JJ — and Max Brosmer and Carson Wentz are gonna be his backups. They’re not going to make the same mistake twice.'”
Adofo-Mensah’s draft results also worked against him. His classes had a hit rate of around 15%–20%, a figure that weakened his case for long-term job security.
The working theory suggests that O’Connell strongly advocated for the Vikings to trade up and draft Drake Maye in the 2024 NFL Draft. When Minnesota attempted to execute such a trade, however, the New England Patriots refused to move from the No. 3 spot. Consequently, with O’Connell’s support, the Vikings pivoted to selecting J.J. McCarthy.
After the 2024 season, Sam Darnold reportedly amassed 4,319 passing yards and 35 touchdowns, leading O’Connell to favor offering him a contract extension. Adofo-Mensah, however, hesitated to commit approximately $33 million annually to a quarterback who had underperformed in the season’s two most critical games, especially given McCarthy’s recent drafting.
O’Connell also allegedly supported pursuing Daniel Jones, but Jones ultimately chose the Indianapolis Colts, believing he had a better opportunity to compete for a starting role against Anthony Richardson, while Minnesota was committed to developing McCarthy.
Furthermore, O’Connell and Aaron Rodgers reportedly discussed the possibility of playing together for a season, but Adofo-Mensah apparently never pursued the opportunity.
It therefore appears that O’Connell consistently championed alternative plans — involving Maye, Darnold, Jones, and Rodgers — only to find the front office consistently disagreeing.
But it had nothing to do with paternity leave, and O’Connell has said since Adofo-Mensah’s termination that the two remain close friends.
The Verdict: Nopedy nope on bad blood or paternity leave causing Adofo-Mensah’s termination.
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