Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah could gain a big advantage for Minnesota by targeting a hometown impact player
This is the latest market inefficiency the Vikings can exploit under Kwesi Adofo-Mensah
The NFL has done a lot over the course of the 21st Century to make the game more explosive for offenses. Essentially, points are excitement.
The majority of the focus has been on the offensive side of the football, and rightfully so. Exciting offenses draw fans to the game who aren’t necessarily hardcore fans who will watch every game. It’s worked over the last 25 years, as the NFL is experiencing record-setting ratings across the board, especially in its standalone games.
The latest crusade by the NFL has been to improve the kick return, something that has gone by the wayside over the years, and it’s something that the Minnesota Vikings know all too well.
Vikings should sign KR Trey Vaval after CFL season
If there is one team that understands the value of the kick returner, it’s the Vikings. In the last 25 years, they have had two of the best returners in the NFL in Cordarrelle Patterson (9 KR), Marcus Sherels (5 PR), and Percy Harvin (5 KR). Between the three of them, they have 19 return touchdowns. In team history, they have 16 punt return touchdowns and 24 kick return touchdowns. Of those 40 touchdowns, 25 have come this century, averaging one per season.
This year, the kick return is becoming even more valuable, and it’s why general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah should make it a priority. He’s tried to find every advantage by maximizing market inefficiencies, and kick returns could be next. That’s where Trey Vaval comes in.
If you watch the Canadian Football League, you know exactly who Vaval is. He’s arguably the best returner in the entire league. Saturday afternoon saw Vaval open the pivotal matchup against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats by returning the opening kickoff for a touchdown.
Vaval is a 25-year-old rookie defensive back for the CFL’s Winnipeg Blue Bombers who played his college football at the University of Minnesota State-Mankato, the same school that produced Vikings legend Adam Thielen. He spent time with the Atlanta Falcons in the preseason back in 2024 before heading up north to Winnipeg. He’s been a dynamite returner for the Blue Bombers with four total return touchdowns. Vaval returned both a kickoff and a punt for a touchdown earlier in the season against the Toronto Argonauts.
Last week, Vaval returned a field goal a whopping 128 yards for a touchdown against the Ottawa Redblacks, which is the second-longest possible play you can have in the CFL, and tied for the seventh longest in league history.
Four return touchdowns in one season is a hefty amount, even in the CFL, where there have been a total of 12 kick and punt return touchdowns, so Vaval having four total returns says something about his ability.
Vaval’s vision and speed have really stood out in a big way this season for the Blue Bombers. He could also be punching his ticket to the NFL with his excellent ability, especially since the kickoff return has become a much bigger factor.
Through Thursday night’s Week 4 game between the Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals, there have been 503 kickoffs with 390 returns, a return rate of 77.5%. That is a significant growth year/year, as only 32.8% (920) of the 2,803 kickoffs were returned.
Over the course of his tenure, Adofo-Mensah has prioritized finding inefficiencies in the market and maximizing them. That could easily continue with the addition of Vaval. He is a defensive back by trade, but this would be a major upside swing in trying to get touchdowns in a way that can change momentum. If the NFL wants kick returns, the smart thing to do is to go with it and use it to your advantage. Vaval could be the ticket to maximizing the kick return.