Vikings' hand was forced by making necessary move to extend general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah
The Minnesota Vikings extended head coach Kevin O'Connell less than two weeks after they lost in the wild card round to the Los Angeles Rams. The question then became when they would extend general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. That came to fruition on Friday morning when the extension was made official. Within the Vikings' fan base, […]
The Minnesota Vikings extended head coach Kevin O'Connell less than two weeks after they lost in the wild card round to the Los Angeles Rams. The question then became when they would extend general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah.
That came to fruition on Friday morning when the extension was made official.
Within the Vikings' fan base, there were a lot of questions about whether or not this was a good idea or not. Some fans have been clamoring for Adofo-Mensah to be fired, mainly because of his history with the NFL Draft.
Was it a good idea for the Vikings to extend him? Unquestionably, and that includes the misses in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Vikings decision to extend Kwesi Adofo-Mensah was obvious
Let's start here. The 2022 NFL Draft was a brutal one. There are only three players left from that draft on the roster, and only one of their four picks in the top 66 is still around: ILB Brian Asamoah, who is only a special teams guy.
Yeah, there have been some issues in getting young talent into the fold, and the 2022 class should be peaking right now in the Vikings' quest to winning a Super Bowl title. However, one bad draft shouldn't be a disqualifier. It's about what you learned from those mistakes.
When you look at how Adofo-Mensah has approached the draft after that first year, where he had just three months on the job to prepare for his first draft, the approach has changed significantly.
The first NFL Draft saw Adofo-Mensah try too hard to fix everything at once, something he's gone on record talking about. Since then, he's been much more calculated, not trading down once in the top 80 picks, but picking his spots and being much more calculated with it. That has landed the Vikings multiple extra picks on day three, giving them more bites at the apple, including a backup quarterback in Sam Howell.
Plus, over the next two drafts, Adofo-Mensah got Jordan Addison, J.J. McCarthy, and Dallas Turner, all of whom project to be hits in the first round.
The positives speak for themselves. It starts with the record. Adofo-Mensah took over a team that had a lot of issues, especially with the salary cap. During the three years that it took Adofo-Mensah to fix the salary cap, the Vikings went a cool 34-17, including one division title and seasons with 13 and 14 wins. Going into the 2025 season, the salary cap is both healthy and flexible, which is exactly where you should be.
The biggest singular move that he made to achieve it was hiring Kevin O'Connell to be the head coach. There is too much focus on the draft history, but nobody ever talks about the job he did in identifying O'Connell to be the guy.
Remember, that coaching cycle was focused mainly on the likes of Brian Daboll, DeMeco Ryans, and Raheem Morris over O'Connell. He made the right choice and it's paid off in droves, as he's proven to be an elite play caller, leader on men, and maximizes the players he has on the roster.
The last major point when it comes to Adofo-Mensah is the success he's had in free agency. So many individuals can identify talent in free agency. That in itself isn't special. What separates Adofo-Mensah from others is identifying the right players and giving them the right contracts. Signing the likes of Andrew Van Ginkel, Jonathan Greenard, and Blake Cashman to the contracts they got all proved to be major steals on the free agent market. Finding value goes back to what his background is: working on Wall Street.
Pair normal free agency with the success and emphasis he's put on undrafted free agency, with eight players who have made the roster, including linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. who became a starter as a rookie.
You may not like Adofo-Mensah becuase of his drafting history, but the growth he's made there is real and overall his team building has been excellent. It was far and away the right move, and the Vikings are in great hands for years to come.
Minnesota Vikings have near 100% attendance at OTAs, but one player’s absence raises questions
Nothing is for certain right now, but it’s worth keeping an eye on
