Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah lives up to his word during free agency and has the fanbase thrilled
After the Minnesota Vikings lost in the wild card round to the Los Angeles Rams, head coach Kevin O'Connell was very vocal about the interior offensive line and fixing it in free agency. "We've got to find a way to solidify the interior of the pocket. … There could be a 1,000 excuses made, but […]
After the Minnesota Vikings lost in the wild card round to the Los Angeles Rams, head coach Kevin O'Connell was very vocal about the interior offensive line and fixing it in free agency.
"We've got to find a way to solidify the interior of the pocket. … There could be a 1,000 excuses made, but for me, it's the foundation of the interior of the pocket that we're going to have to take a long look at."
A few days later, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah was a little less clear, viging a varied answer on the position group, essentially saying that growth isn't always linear.
"I think having studied it, I would agree with what he said. What I would say is though, I think a lot of times everybody hears that and thinks the answer is kind of simple. And the answer can come from different ways. It can come from a different player. It could come from a player year over year improving. It could come from how we do things from a pass protection standpoint. Those two games revealed some issues in there that were tougher to overcome. How do you overcome them? And that's what's beautiful about football. It's this complex sport. If you want to run the football, there's a lot of ways to do it. You could maybe get better at receiver and make them play you a certain way. We’ll approach this off-season trying to fix the team with that creativity, that mindset in place. We'll collaborate with Kevin, but yeah, we want to be in a place where we're still playing football. And to win these last games, any potential places where teams can attack, you've got to be ready for, not just from your starting lineup, but from your two deep. And so we want to set ourselves up to be in that position and going from there."
Vikings fortify trenches, sign Will Fries
All the words that both O'Connell and Adofo-Mensah said about the offensive line came to fruition, as they have agreed to terms with former Indianapolis Colts right guard Will Fries on a five-year, $88 million contract. This came about 14 hours after they agreed to terms with his former Colts teammate Ryan Kelly.
What a whirlwind of a 24 hour period for the Vikings, as they agreed to terms with four players to bolster up the trenches.
- DT Jonathan Allen
- DT Javon Hargrave
- C Ryan Kelly
- RG Will Fries
It's been a long time since the Vikings have been this aggressive in trying to fix the trenches. They have done a lot of low-cost stop-gap options, but this is a much more aggressive approach.
What are the Vikings getting in Fries? I spoke to our Colts beat reporter Destin Adams, who called Fries one of the best stories in the National Football League.
Will Fries is one of the best stories in the NFL even if the average fan may not know his name. A former 7th round pick for the Colts was converted to guard after playing tackle at Penn State. And he has climbed the ranks in Indianapolis to this point where he is viewed as one of the best offensive lineman on the free agency market.
He had his breakout season in 2024 where he was on the verge of an elite season before his tear came to an abrupt end due to a significant leg injury. But his dominance in the run game as well as being a plus in pass protection makes him worth the risk of paying big. His best football is very likely still ahead of him and the only reason he won’t be returning to Indy is because of being out bid on the market.
Get prepared folks. Adofo-Mensah has now constructed a Super Bowl caliber roster.
Minnesota Vikings Free Agency Tracker: Updates on every Kwesi Adofo-Mensah signing for 2025 and beyond
Keep track of every Vikings free agency move
