Although Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has been the general manager for the Minnesota Vikings for over three years now, it still feels like he just arrived with the franchise and every move he makes is analyzed deeply.
The Vikings just rewarded Adofo-Mensah with his first contract extension. Although there have been ups and downs in his short time as a general manager, the team made the right decision to keep him and head coach Kevin O'Connell together.
There will be critics of this move who cite instances like the 2022 NFL Draft as a time when Adofo-Mensah messed up. And while that is valid, there is also the great work he had done to bring talent to Minnesota through free agency.
Minnesota Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah got the cold shoulder in recent GM rankings
Recently, NBC Sports shared an article by Patrick Daugherty that ranks the general managers of the NFL, and he placed Kwesi Adofo-Mensah of the Minnesota Vikings at No. 13.
"In theory, Adofo-Mensah is striking while the iron is hot. In reality, he’s not just taking advantage of McCarthy’s team-friendly deal, but attempting to offset what has been consistently shaky drafting. Of course, that assessment will disappear if McCarthy is the real deal. If not, the only thing Adofo-Mensah may have been building toward is the opportunity for wiz kid coach Kevin O’Connell to eventually handpick his own personnel man."Patrick Daugherty - NBC Sports
While the futures of quarterback J.J. McCarthy and edge rusher Dallas Turner will have a big impact on how Adofo-Mensah's performance as a general manager is evaluated, it's easy to dismiss the reason Minnesota has the financial flexibility they are currently enjoying,
Moving on from Kirk Cousins was a bold move for the Vikings. He kept the Vikings as a competitive team for many years and Minnesota's general manager could have coasted on that mediocracy while he established himself in the position.
However, that's not what Adofo-Mensah did. He decided not to re-sign Cousins but also made the tough call not to bring back Sam Darnold after he filled in during the 2024 NFL season and led the team to the postseason despite it being a year when they weren't expected to make noise.
Meanwhile, the Minnesota Vikings took the salary cap space that would have been tied down by an experienced quarterback to improve the trenches, get new starting pass rushers, bring talent to the secondary, and lock down key players with extensions.
At a time in the league where holdouts and trade/release demands happen fairly often, it's nice to see the Minnesota Vikings don't have many issues with unhappy situations involving the front office of the team. Considering the chaos Kwesi-Adofo Mensah inherited coming to the franchise, he is truly shaping the organization for the future.