General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has done some good things for the Minnesota Vikings in his second season but he has also made some decisions that haven't worked out.
Making decisions in the front office of an NFL franchise is an extremely challenging task. Attempting to do what is best for the team while minimizing the risk of collapse is a tough task for anyone, including Minnesota Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah.
As a first-time general manager, he is in a tough spot. Making the wrong call at the wrong time could set the franchise back for multiple years and the GM's job on the line. Hitting a home run means job stability and a good product on the field.
Adofo-Mensah has made some great calls in his second year, including moving on from expensive veterans like Adam Thielen, Eric Kendricks, and Dalvin Cook and bringing in talented rookies like Jordan Addison and Ivan Pace Jr.
However, not every decision Kwesi Adofo-Mensah made was a good one. If given the opportunity, the GM would likely want to take the Minnesota Vikings franchise in a different direction. Here are five of the worst decisions made in Adofo-Mensah's second year with the team.
Bad decision No. 1
The impossible contract
There is nothing wrong with a prove-it contact. Signing a player who struggled with one team to see if they can thrive in a different environment is usually worth a gamble, which is what the Minnesota Vikings tried to do at edge rusher.
Signing Marcus Davenport to a one-year deal worth $13 million made absolutely no sense. Although he flashed in 2021 by having nine sacks in 11 games, his other four seasons with the New Orleans Saints were underwhelming.
If Davenport had a bad season in 2023, the big investment was a waste. If Davenport played well and earned his contract, he would become a free agent and could sign with the highest bidder on a massive contract.
Marcus Davenport ended his 2023 campaign with the Minnesota Vikings by getting two sacks and four combined tackles in four games played. He is extremely unlikely to return to the team, wasting salary cap and an opportunity for a player like D.J. Wonnum or Patrick Jones II.
Bad decision No. 2
Going all-in on a running back
To be fair, it's hard to be mad about the two-year deal worth $7 million that Alexander Mattison signed with the Minnesota Vikings. It's not a significant amount of salary cap space and they needed an experienced runner on the roster since they would let go of Dalvin Cook.
It wasn't a financial mistake, but the error was thinking that Alexander Mattison could be a solid RB1 for the Vikings. It was a mistake that loomed the entire season and put Minnesota as one of the last teams in the league to score a rushing touchdown.
Speaking of rushing touchdowns, Mattison didn't get one in 2023. He failed to reach the end zone in any of his 190 carries and only picked up 28 first downs on the ground in 16 games played during the season.
Adofo-Mensah attempted to help the situation by trading for Cam Akers from the Los Angeles Rams and head coach Kevin O'Connell shifted Ty Chandler into a bigger role, but the Minnesota Vikings still ended the season with the sixth-fewest rushing yards (1,661) and rushing first downs (93-T).
Bad decision No. 3
Not preparing for the future at QB
It seems like Kwesi Adofo-Mensah should have started the search for the next starting quarterback of the Minnesota Vikings as soon as he set foot in the team's front office since he knew Kirk Cousins was getting close to the end of his contract and wasn't getting any younger.
Drafting Jaren Hall helped to fill out the quarterback room, but he wasn't a top prospect in the 2023 NFL Draft. Former San Francisco 49ers and Cleveland Browns passer Nick Mullens was entrusted with the backup duties.
Kirk Cousins rarely missed games due to injury, but when he tore his Achilles' tendon, the carousel began. Mullens was a turnover machine, Hall looked like a deer in the headlights, and Josh Dobbs became a media darling but then faded back into obscurity.
Now, the Minnesota Vikings are forced to throw a truckload of money at Kirk Cousins or a free agent quarterback or to use their draft capital to go after a prospect they love in the 2024 NFL Draft. Either way, hesitating has put a lot of pressure on Kwesi Adofo-Mensah to get it right this offseason.
Bad decision No. 4
What's the wait?
Minnesota Vikings fans know that Justin Jefferson is going to get paid a huge amount soon. The young receiver is set to play on his fifth-year option in 2024 and has yet to ink a contract extension with the team.
Jefferson could become the NFL's highest-paid wide receiver when a deal gets done. He is set to have a salary cap hit of $19.7 million, which would likely be less than what the year would have cost with an extension, but there are times you can't nickel and dime a player.
When you have a player you can build an offense around, the last thing you want to do is raise any question about how much the team values them. Adofo-Mensah needs to lock him down on a long-term deal so he can focus on the team's other needs.
Theoretically, there is no rush to get a deal done. However, a fan base like the Minnesota Vikings is used to disappointment. If a deal can't get done for some reason, there could be a huge backlash from the team's supporters.
Bad decision No. 5
Another delayed reaction
Long before the Minnesota Vikings decided to sign free agent Dalton Risner, the fans clamored for it on social media. It was obvious he would be an asset to the offensive line, yet weeks went by without a contract being signed.
There is a chance that Kwesi Adofo-Mensah was waiting to make sure he could find a trade partner to unload Ezra Cleveland, who was becoming a free agent, but that still isn't a great reason for not signing Risner anyway.
Risner did a great job protecting his quarterback once he arrived in Minnesota. The 28-year-old guard was an exceptionally bright spot on the Vikings' offensive line and didn't allow defenses to get past him for a sack.
If he had arrived in Minnesota sooner, he could have helped a banged-up offensive line and whichever quarterback got a start that week. The only question is why Adofo-Mensah waited so long to make it happen.