The Vikings Make a Late Move Internally

The Vikings have fired Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, who served as the team’s general manager since 2022. During his time in the role, Kwesi posted a .632 winning percentage with the Vikings, but that number doesn’t tell the full story of how his tenure ultimately went.

The move came as a shock to many Minnesota Vikings fans on Friday afternoon, but it was far from a surprise. Kwesi struggled over his four years in Minnesota to hit on draft picks, and ultimately it all accumulated into his firing.

Draft Picks

Kwesi has made 28 draft selections since 2022, and looking back, he has hit at an extremely low percentage during that time. Roughly 50% of those picks have either been cut, traded, or have such little relevance that it’s unclear whether they’re even on the roster or practice squad anymore. Of those 28 selections, only seven players have become viable starters for the Vikings—and the jury is still out on some of them.

Those players include names like Jalen Nailor, who may not even be on the team next season as he approaches a new contract; Jordan Addison, who has faced a significant amount of legal trouble in his three seasons in Minnesota; and J.J. McCarthy, who still has a lot to prove to the organization in terms of whether he is truly the future of the franchise. On the other hand, there are players like Will Reichard, who has become pivotal at the kicking position; Levi Drake Rodriguez, who has developed into a solid rotational interior defensive lineman; Dallas Turner, who took a major leap in 2024; and Donovan Jackson, who looks like a promising piece on the interior of the offensive line.

To put into perspective just how little Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s draft picks have panned out—or even played for the team—the Vikings rank 31st in the NFL in total starts by players they have drafted since 2022.

For comparison, the Vikings, sitting 31st, have accumulated just 172 starts from their draft picks, while their division rival, the Green Bay Packers, rank first with 563 starts.

Free Agent Signings

Outside of the 2024 free-agent class, Kwesi really struggled to succeed in this area when you look back.

In 2022, the Vikings signed: OLB Za’Darius Smith, DT Harrison Phillips, LB Jordan Hicks, CB Chandon Sullivan, G Jesse Davis, and DE Jonathan Bullard.

This class wasn’t bad, but it was filled with a lot of one-year plug-ins meant to compete with an already established roster that lacked success under the previous regime of Mike Zimmer and Rick Spielman. Overall, it was a fine free-agent class, as the team clearly wanted to compete with a light reload rather than a full rebuild.

In 2023, the Vikings signed: CB Byron Murphy Jr., TE Josh Oliver, DE Dean Lowry, and WR Brandon Powell.

Players like Byron Murphy and Josh Oliver remain on the team today and continue to be important starters. That said, this free-agent class was thin and nothing particularly special.

In 2024, the Vikings signed: QB Sam Darnold, RB Aaron Jones, EDGE Jonathan Greenard, Andrew Van Ginkel, and LB Blake Cashman.

This was the highlight of Kwesi’s time in Minnesota. The Vikings signed a cheap bridge quarterback to lead the team while JJ McCarthy developed and ultimately had to sit out due to injury. Darnold walked into the building and won the Vikings 14 games. Aaron Jones had one of the best seasons of his career from a yardage standpoint and brought something to the Vikings’ run game that they hadn’t seen since letting Dalvin Cook go after the 2022 season. Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel were both signed to affordable deals and went on to post double-digit sack seasons. Both continue to be vital pieces of the Vikings’ defense and should be for the foreseeable future. Blake Cashman has been outstanding, bringing a tackling presence the Vikings hadn’t had since prime Eric Kendricks. He remains a huge part of the defense as he heads into a contract year.

In 2025, the Vikings signed: DT Jonathan Allen, Javon Hargrave, G Will Fries, C Ryan Kelly, CB Isaiah Rodgers, and CB Jeff Okudah.

This is where things turned rough for Kwesi. He let Sam Darnold walk in an effort to beef up the interior line on both sides of the ball, handing out massive contracts to Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave on defense. That plan ultimately failed, as both players showed clear signs of being on the downside of their careers, dealing with injuries, reduced snap counts, and a lack of production. They were essentially beaten out by late-round and undrafted young players earning a fraction of the price.

On the offensive line, Will Fries and Ryan Kelly also received sizable paydays. Kelly suffered three concussions and missed most of the season, while Fries was a major disappointment relative to his contract.

Isaiah Rodgers emerged as a solid starter at cornerback on a cheap deal, but former high draft pick Jeff Okudah once again failed to work out.

Contract Extensions and Trades

Kwesi’s time in Minnesota also included a handful of trades and extensions that ultimately did not age well. TJ Hockenson was acquired via trade in 2022 and played at a high level until suffering a gruesome knee injury late in the 2023 season. Hockenson had been extended the prior offseason, so when he returned, the expectation was that he would eventually get back to form despite the injury. That proved to be very wrong, as Hockenson has not looked the same and has taken a significant dip in production since. At this point, he is no longer worth the extension he received.

Byron Murphy was extended this past offseason out of desperation to lock down a true No. 1 cornerback. After an elite 2024 season, the Vikings believed they had found their guy and moved quickly to retain him for 2025. While they succeeded in doing so, Murphy also experienced a noticeable drop in production. It is still too early to label the extension a failure, but so far it has not delivered the desired results.

The Vikings also traded away Harrison Phillips to the Jets during the 2025 offseason after signing Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave to massive contracts. Phillips went on to have a very good season in New York, similar to the level of play he had consistently shown in Minnesota. In hindsight, the Vikings could have saved a significant amount of money by avoiding the signings of Allen and Hargrave and instead sticking with Phillips, Redmond, and Levi Drake Rodriguez, who have proven to be the three best interior defensive linemen of the group.

Was It The Right Move

Overall, we do believe firing GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah was the correct move, as he repeatedly showed struggles in both the draft process and overall roster construction during his four years in Minnesota. The timing is certainly surprising—the Vikings haven’t played a game in nearly a month, and every general manager opening around the NFL has already been filled—but with Sam Darnold heading to the Super Bowl just a year after the Vikings let him walk, that may have simply been the final straw.

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