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The Most Shocking Vikings Offseason Moments of the Last Decade

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Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah stands on the field at U.S. Bank Stadium before a game against the Falcons.
Minnesota Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah surveys the field and pregame activity at U.S. Bank Stadium during warmups ahead of a December 8, 2024 matchup in Minneapolis against the Atlanta Falcons, as the organization prepared for another late-season test under the stadium lights with roster stakes looming. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

The Minnesota Vikings fired Kwesi Adofo-Mensah eight days ago, sending shockwaves through the team’s fan base and thrusting the franchise into a mysterious offseason, with free agency a month away. The decision moved the needle for most shocking offseason moments in franchise history, so here’s a look at items with that criteria over the last decade.

Ranked from five to one, each moment landed with real weight because it reshaped Minnesota’s roster, direction, or identity with the snap of two fingers.

The timing confused some. Why didn’t the Vikings terminate his contract on Black Monday?

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Ranked: The 5 Biggest Vikings Offseason Shocks since 2016

Ranked ascendingly (No. 1 = most shocking moment), the most stunning offseason moments since 2016.

Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins stands on the field before a game at Soldier Field. Vikings shocking offseason moments.
Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins surveys the field during pregame warmups at Soldier Field, with November 18, 2018 appearing mid-paragraph as Chicago hosted a division matchup. The quiet sideline moment captures Cousins focused and composed before kickoff, framed by a hostile road environment and late-season stakes as Minnesota prepared for the Bears. Mandatory Credit: Quinn Harris-USA TODAY Sports

5. Vikings Win the Kirk Cousins Sweepstakes

In February and March of 2018, a handful of teams pursued Cousins, such as the New York Jets, Denver Broncos, and Arizona Cardinals. Basically every quarterback-needy team explored the Cousins sweepstakes.

And after visiting the 2017 NFC Championship, Minnesota opted to offload Case Keenum to those very Broncos, paving the way for Cousins to sign in Minnesota for an unheard-of guaranteed contract at the time.

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The Vikings had been rumored in the mix for Cousins that offseason, but when they closed the deal, it felt like Minnesota had landed a franchise quarterback for the first time since Daunte Culpepper or Brett Favre.

Cousins stayed in Minnesota for six seasons, leading the club to the postseason twice and tallying one playoff win.

4. Stefon Diggs Traded to BUF

Diggs grew antsy over the Vikings’ run-happy offense, led by head coach Mike Zimmer, and actually asked general manager Rick Spielman for a trade during the 2019 campaign. He went AWOL from the team for a couple of days.

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Vikings wide receiver Stefon Diggs during a game against the Seahawks in Seattle.
Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Stefon Diggs lines up during live action at CenturyLink Field, with December 2, 2019 embedded mid-paragraph as Seattle hosted Minnesota. The in-game snapshot reflects Diggs’ involvement in a high-scoring contest that tilted toward the Seahawks, highlighting the intensity and pace of a primetime road environment. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports

Spielman told him no during the regular season but pledged to deliver the following offseason. He didn’t renege.

Diggs tweeted that it was time for a new beginning, Spielman shipped him to the Buffalo Bills, and the Vikings used the trade haul to draft Justin Jefferson about a month later.

3. OL Coach Tony Sparano Passes Away

In July 2018, about four months after Minnesota netted Cousins, Sparano was hospitalized with chest pains, which turned out to be a massive heart attack. He passed away three days later.

The news fell out of the sky because no Vikings fan knew that Sparano was sick, and he was a damn good offensive line coach. Minnesota scrambled and promoted Andrew Janocko and Clancy Barone to co-offensive line coach duty.

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The offensive line took a noticeable step back without Sparano in 2018.

2. Kwesi Adofo-Mensah Fired after 4 Seasons

The news that flipped the Vikings’ 2026 offseason on its face.

ESPN’s Kevin Seifert wrote last Friday, “The Minnesota Vikings fired general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah on Friday, a shocking turn after an organization-wide failure to make the playoffs this season. Owners Zygi and Mark Wilf tapped Rob Brzezinski, their longtime executive vice president of football operations, to lead the front office through the 2026 draft. Speaking to reporters Friday,”

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“Mark Wilf would not rule out Brzezinski as a candidate for the permanent general manager job but pledged a “thorough” postdraft search. Wilf said he will “lean toward” a traditional arrangement that would give the next general manager personnel decision-making power with “extremely heavy input” from coach Kevin O’Connell.”

Adofo-Mensah had only connected on about 17%-20% of all draft picks since taking the big job in 2022, fired up strange trades last summer involving Harrison Phillips, Mehki Blackmon, and Adam Thielen, and watched as Sam Darnold trudged to a Super Bowl with the Seahawks in 2025.

Those factors led the Wilfs to fire Adofo-Mensah, albeit about three weeks late by conventional offseason standards. Head coach O’Connell presumably takes center stage as the team’s de facto CEO.

1. Rookie CB Khyree Jackson Killed in Car Accident

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Just over two months after being drafted by the Vikings in the 2024 NFL Draft, Jackson was killed in a Maryland car wreck that took the lives of three people. Jackson’s professional career never got started. The team dedicated the 2024 campaign to him, and his family remains involved in Vikings activities.

Oregon defensive back Khyree Jackson plays coverage against Arizona State.
Oregon Ducks defensive back Khyree Jackson reacts in coverage against Arizona State at Mountain America Stadium, with November 18, 2023 placed mid-paragraph during a late-season Pac-12 matchup in Tempe. The action shot shows Jackson engaged at the point of attack as Oregon’s defense pressed its advantage on the road. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Last month, the driver of the other vehicle, Cori Clingman, was sentenced to three years in prison for her crime.

Prince George County State Attorney Tara Jackson remarked after the sentence, “I hope that she will use this time really to think about her actions and the lives that have been lost, her friends, the lives of her friends that have been lost, and become a more productive member of our community.”

Cllingman issued a statement:: “From the deepest place in my heart, I’m sorry.”


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MLB Power Rankings: What’s real after five days? Breaking down baseball’s opening week results

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Keytron Jordan, CBS Sports

The first half-week of the Major League Baseball season is always such a mixed bag. We know we aren’t supposed to get all emotional or draw wide-sweeping conclusions based on such a small sample of games, yet we sat around and waited all winter for meaningful MLB action. Deep down inside, we can’t help ourselves. 

As an example, most readers know I’m a Cubs fan. I will admit that while my head knew that the Opening Day loss wasn’t the biggest deal in the world, I was pretty bummed and even a bit angry about my favorite team getting pounded by what is likely one of the worst teams in baseball. I’m pretty livid about the series loss. Hey, we’re all human. 

Still, here in the Power Rankings, the key is to keep our wits about us. I often say in the early going that we need to react without overreacting. With only a half week of action, there’s hardly anything to react to at all. Let’s look back at last year for some examples of how reacting could lead us astray. 

The three teams with winning records above all missed the playoffs, while the teams that looked terrible ended up in the postseason. Of course, the Dodgers were 5-0 and that 0-4 Braves start was the beginning of a disaster of a season. 

How do we know what is real and what was a mirage? We don’t, really. We can judge teams based on confirmation bias (I knew the Dodgers were gonna be unbeatable!), but that’s about it so far. 

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Are the Braves and Orioles having bounceback seasons after falling apart last year? Are the Rangers for real? How about the Marlins?!?! The Brewers look great again, but was that just a lack of competition? The Yankees looked amazing, but do the Giants actually just suck? Are the Phillies taking a step back? How about the Blue Jays sweeping the Athletics; did that tell us anything? 

We just don’t know yet and that’s part of the fun. 

I do know one thing for sure: I missed this. I’m excited for the grind that is our marathon of a regular season. We’ll see plenty of surprises through the course of the season. The most unsurprising thing will be the Dodgers winning the NL West with ease. Again. But we’ll see plenty of other fun things. I promise. We’re back, baby! 

Biggest Movers

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Rk

Teams

 

Chg

Rcrd

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1


Dodgers

They’ll obviously go 162-0. We can cancel the rest of the season. 3-0

2


Blue Jays

Only one start, but it was interesting to see Dylan Cease throw his fastball at a much lower rate than in any previous season. And he struck out 12. 1 3-0

3


Yankees

That was a pretty emphatic first series. I see nothing about which to complain. 1 3-0

4


Brewers

Even trailing 7-2 is no concern for this juggernaut. 7 3-0

5


Tigers

Kevin McGonigle through three career games: .417/.462/.583. That’ll play. 1 2-1

6


Mariners

Is Emerson Hancock going to have a breakout season? Man, look out for this rotation. 4 1-2

7


Braves

Given the injury woes in the rotation, what an encouraging start from Reynaldo López on Saturday. 1 2-1

8


Mets

I wondered if being freed from a terrible team would rejuvenate Luis Robert Jr. So far, so good. 1 2-1

9


Orioles

I’m bullish on an Orioles bounceback season and there were several good signs in the first series. Among them: Adley Rutschman is hitting. 5 2-1

10


Cubs

Pete Crow-Armstrong last season had three bunt hits. So far this season, he already has two. It’s a nice wrinkle for a player who hit 31 homers last year and can fly. 5 1-2

11


Rangers

Very nice series win in Philly to start the season, especially since they had to scratch Jacob deGrom from his start. 6 2-1

12


Phillies

I had concerns heading into the season that the offense would be far too reliant on the top three hitters, as awesome as they are, and nothing in the first three games has alleviated those concerns. 3 1-2

13


Reds

Quite a start to the season for Sal Stewart. That kid can rake. 9 2-1

14


Red Sox

Rough Red Sox debut for Sonny Gray, but that bullpen has looked stellar outside of Greg Weissert. 4 1-2

15


Marlins

The Marlins are 3-0 for the first time since 2009. And hey, how about Sandy Alcantara on Opening Day? 9 3-0

16


Astros

Rough debut for Tatsuya Imai. The rotation behind Hunter Brown is concerning. 4 2-2

17


Royals

Saturday’s loss had to be a tough one to swallow, but the Royals bounced back with a very good all-around game on Sunday. They’re fine. 4 1-2

18


Guardians

They just scream mediocrity to me, but hey, splitting four games in Seattle is a success. 2 2-1

19


Pirates

Obviously winning matters, but the Pirates weren’t really all that far from sweeping the Mets. Make Oneil Cruz catch two flies in the opener and then make better pitches in extras in game two. (Of course, they were awfully close to getting swept too). 4 1-2

20


Angels

Mike Trout is amazing again? Dare we dream? 6 2-2

21


Athletics

I still love the A’s offense for the season, but 49 strikeouts in three games in Toronto is a rough debut. 6 0-3

22


Padres

Really good sign from Randy Vásquez to work six scoreless innings with eight strikeouts. The Padres’ rotation is worrisome, but a big step forward here could work wonders. 6 1-2

23


Nationals

Joey Wiemer is apparently the best hitter in baseball. Who knew? 6 2-1

24


Cardinals

The monster start to the season by Jordan Walker has to be encouraging. It’s not just the numbers. Everything about him looks the part. 1 2-1

25


Rays

I’ve spoken with relievers before who have lamented that a bad outing early in the season can ruin their numbers for weeks or even months. Ian Seymour gave up five runs without getting an out on Opening Day. That’s gonna leave a mark. 6 1-2

26


Giants

It took 20 innings, but the Giants finally scored their first run of 2026 on Saturday. Maybe their manager should’ve given more “fire and brimstone” speeches. I hear those definitely help with big leaguers. 8 0-3

27


Diamondbacks

Zac Gallen’s problem innings last season were the first, second and fourth. He threw four scoreless innings against the Dodgers on Opening Day! And then he fell apart in the fifth. Back to the drawing board. 6 0-3

28


Twins

Royce Lewis is 2 for 9 this season, but both hits are home runs. 1 1-2

29


White Sox

Three games, three bombs for Munetaka Murakami. 1 0-3

30


Rockies

The more things change, the more they stay the same. The Rockies are awful. 0-3

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Senegal Fans’ Trial in Morocco Postponed Again

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The appeal hearing involving Senegalese supporters detained in Morocco has been delayed once more, with the court fixing April 13 as the new date for proceedings.

The case was expected to continue as scheduled, but the presiding judge ordered an adjournment, causing another setback in the trial.

The supporters have been held in custody since January following incidents of disorder during the final match between Morocco and Senegal.

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Efforts by the Government of Senegal, which put together a legal team to defend the fans, have yet to yield progress, as the case continues to face repeated delays, raising concerns about how long the supporters have remained in detention.

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Dmitry Bivol next fight announced over a year after last world title defence

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Dmitry Bivol has finally had his long-awaited return to the ring confirmed.

The 35-year-old was last in action over 12 months ago when he went up against countryman Artur Beterbiev in their undisputed light heavyweight showdown back in February 2025.

It was a rematch of their clash the past October which Beterbiev had won by majority decision, but Bivol was able to gain revenge in the second meeting to dethrone his rival by the exact same outcome and become undisputed champion.

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Since then, Bivol had to relinquish his WBC title which is now held by David Benavidez, but the Russian still remains in possession of the WBA, IBF and WBO belts, and is now set to compete against his mandatory challenger Michael Eifert.

Bivol had to undergo back surgery which delayed his return, and after several extensions for purse bid negotiations were granted for the bout against Eifert, a date and location has been revealed.

It was initially expected that the fight would be part of the Oleksandr Usyk vs. Rico Verhoeven card in Egypt on May 23, but that won’t be the case, after it was announced that Bivol will face Eifert in Yekaterinburg, Russia on May 30.

Eifert has won 13 of his 14 professional contests, with his most notable win coming against Jean Pascal in March 2023. He has fought only once since then, a victory over Carlos Jiminez in August 2024, meaning the German has been more inactive than Bivol.

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Unified champion Bivol will be a big favourite in the bout, and if successful against Eifert, he has recently stated his desire to face Beterbiev in a trilogy contest next, before a potential fight against former rival Canelo Alvarez, or even a move up to cruiserweight.

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Rick Bowness rips ‘selfish’ Blue Jackets play in scathing postgame remark

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The Columbus Blue Jackets have missed the playoffs in five straight seasons. They looked like contending for a wild card spot last year, but eventually fell two points shy of clinching it. They were hoping to equal that points tally from last season and solidify their playoff chances this year against the Boston Bruins on Sunday.

But the Blue Jackets surrendered in what looked like a routine win. Having gone up 3-0 in the first period, the Bruins mounted a spirited comeback in the third before winning the game 4-3 in a shootout. They leapfrogged the Blue Jackets into the top Eastern Conference wild card spot and left Columbus at 87 points.

Blue Jackets head coach Rick Bowness didn’t mince any words following his team’s fourth loss in five games (1-3-1). He called out to his players to develop a playoff mindset, as many on the roster have yet to taste playoff success in their NHL careers.

“We got away from being aggressive, and I thought we got very selfish with the puck,” Bowness said. “Some of these guys, they’ve got a lot to learn about how to play in this league at this time of year.

“It gets harder and harder and harder, and we’re going to keep reminding them and reminding them every day how hard it is to win at this time of the year, and you just can’t get away. I hate it when we play on our heels, and we were back a little bit. Give them credit. They started coming, but there’s a lot to be learned from some of these guys, and they better damn well start listening.”

Bowness’ frustrations stem from the fact that the Blue Jackets dropped their game on Saturday against the San Jose Sharks in a similar fashion. They held a 2-1 lead after the second intermission, but let the Sharks come back into the game and eventually take a 3-2 win with a winner at 18:35 in the third.

Blue Jackets players express their disappointment after surrendering 3-0 lead

Captain Boone Jenner stated during the postgame interviews that is imperative that the Blue Jackets leave the loss behind them and look to consolidate their footing in the final eight games left in the regular season.

“It’s a tough loss, obviously, and we know what’s at stake,” Jenner said. “We are where we are right now. We can’t change the games where we didn’t get points, right? We have eight huge games here the rest of the way. We have to learn from tonight and we need to get better in order to get some more wins down the stretch.”

Jenner was guilty of taking a tripping penalty with 42 seconds left in the game, which led to Pavel Zacha’s second and game-tying goal. Leading up to the goal, the Blue Jackets tried to dump out the puck, with the nervousness showing in front of the home crowd. With eight games left, that is one emotion that needs to take a back seat.

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“There was a reason we were up 3-0,” Coyle said, “and it’s because we were doing the right things and playing the right way. We’ve got to stick to it. And we had the talk in between period, like, ‘Let’s stay on it.’

“They’re a good team. They’re going to push and play well and press a little bit, but it’s up to us, no matter what happens, to just stay on it. We can’t be turning pucks over like that and giving them easy transition.”

Columbus has played eight times in the last 13 days. They will get a rest day on Monday before they are off to face the division leaders, Carolina Hurricanes.