Latest QB news in the NFL world puts Kwesi-Adofo Mensah in position to win major award

The Simpsons is one of the best television shows of all-time and Millhouse Van Houten is one of its most beloved characters. There is a line in the show when Millhouse is annoyed by having to wear flood pants but they work perfectly and he has the infamous line "Everything is coming up Millhouse." That's […]

Tyler Forness — NFL & College Football News Writer
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Dec 8, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins (18) and Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold (14) talk after the game at U.S. Bank Stadium.
Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

The Simpsons is one of the best television shows of all-time and Millhouse Van Houten is one of its most beloved characters. There is a line in the show when Millhouse is annoyed by having to wear flood pants but they work perfectly and he has the infamous line "Everything is coming up Millhouse."

That's what it feels like to be a Vikings fan right now.

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After losing three of the last four games, the Atlanta Falcons have decided to make a change at quarterback, by benching Kirk Cousins and naming first round pick Michael Penix Jr. the starting quarterback.

Kwesi Adofo-Mensah's Executive of the Year case is getting stronger

The biggest topic of the offseason for the Vikings was whether or not it would be a good idea to re-sign Cousins to any sort of contract. He spoke to reporters in January about his future and his quote looms large.

"It's not about the dollars, but it is about what the dollars represent."

Cousins received a massive four-year contract from the Falcons worth $180 million with $100 million guaranteed. He lasted 14 games, but it was evident that Cousins wasn't the same player after the torn Achilles he suffered in October of 2023.

He chose to go to Atlanta because it would give him the opportunity to be the supposed "unquestioned" starter he had always desired in the NFL. Six weeks later, the Falcons selected Penix, and the rest is history.

When the Vikings chose to move on from Cousins, it was a monumental shift in the franchise's direction. To replace him, the Vikings signed Sam Darnold to a one-year contract worth $10 million and selected J.J. McCarthy 10th overall.

Not only has Darnold been better than Cousins all season, but he comes significantly cheaper and they will have a significantly healthier salary cap situation moving forward. That decision has changed everything for the Vikings.

After 14 games, the Vikings are 12-2 and have a chance to win the NFC North during what most were calling a rebuild year for the purple and gold. Instead, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah built a team that can not only compete for years to come but also this season in a year that nobody saw coming.

I've written multiple times about Adofo-Mensah being the top candidate for Executive of the Year, including after a week 11 win over the Tennessee Titans when they overcame a lot of errors to get the win.

Getting the Vikings to a point of both immediate success and future flexibility was the key for Adofo-Mensah when he took over for Rick Spielman as general manager. They cleaned up the salary cap space while also boasting a 27-16 regular season record in his first two and a half seasons on the job.

This has been one of the most impressive jobs in the National Football League and is more than deserving of the award, especially when you consider the Vikings have $68,329,496 in dead salary cap.

Being able to identify that Cousins wasn't the guy moving forward and pivot to now deciding between two that you believe to be franchise quarterbacks is proving to be a massive decision for the Vikings and when you pair that with the elite free agency moves the Vikings made, Adofo-Mensah should be a no-brainer to win the award.

For the Falcons, they are now set to eat $65 million in dead money if they choose to release him. If they can find a trading partner, that number would drop to $37.5 million. Funny enough, the Vikings could bring Cousins back on a smaller salary to be the backup next season, as he does have offset language in his contract similar to Russell Wilson.

Would he end up coming back? Probably not, but the move is proving to be a massive win for the Vikings.

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