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Welcome Back Kwesi!
#1
Vikings Sign General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah to Contract Extension
May 30, 2025 at 09:00 AM
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Craig Peters
Senior Editor

 

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EAGAN, Minn. — The Vikings and General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah have agreed to a multiyear contract extension, the team announced Friday.

"Kwesi's leadership, vision and collaboration with our coaching staff has positioned the Minnesota Vikings for sustained success," Vikings Owner/President Mark Wilf said. "His dedication and forward-thinking approach have been instrumental in shaping our roster and future, and we are confident that under the guidance of him and Kevin O'Connell, we will continue to compete at the highest level as we pursue a championship for Vikings fans."

Vikings Owner/Chairman Zygi Wilf added: "We are extremely excited to continue this journey with Kwesi in this role and confident in the direction he and Kevin are leading our organization. Kwesi's commitment to building a championship-caliber team and his ability to collaborate effectively and make bold, calculated decisions has positioned the Vikings for long-term success."

Adofo-Mensah was entering the final year of his four-year contract he signed upon his hire in January 2022. He said he is "beyond excited to continue this journey" with the Vikings and with O'Connell, who signed an extension with Minnesota in January.

"This organization means so much to me, and I've always believed in what we're building here. From the ownership to the incredible staff, there's a true commitment to creating a winning culture with the goal of competing year in and year out," Adofo-Mensah said. "I'm thankful for the trust the Wilf family has placed in me, and I'm thrilled to continue leading our football operation alongside Coach O'Connell. Minnesota has welcomed my family with open arms, and we embrace the sacrifices that come with chasing the ultimate prize, knowing what it will mean to the best fan base and this great state.

"While we've made significant strides already, our focus will remain on building a team positioned as a perennial contender," Adofo-Mensah added. "This extension signifies we are on solid ground with the long-term vision we have set, and I'm incredibly excited to work with this group of talented people as we continue to push the boundaries of what this franchise can achieve."

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Stacy Bengs/AP
Adofo-Mensah has helped the Vikings go 34-17 in three regular seasons as he and his department have guided the roster through significant personnel changes. His tenure includes the hiring of O'Connell, the 2024 NFL Coach of the Year, as well as contract extensions for franchise pillars Justin Jefferson, T.J. Hockenson, Christian Darrisaw and Andrew Van Ginkel.

The 2024 free agency class is one of the best in team history and helped Minnesota go 14-3 for the second most wins in a season in franchise history. The Vikings signed QB Sam Darnold, RB Aaron Jones, Sr., OLBs Van Ginkel and Jonathan Greenard, as well as LB Blake Cashman in the initial wave and continued to strategically build the roster.

The Vikings also were aggressive in the 2024 NFL Draft, trading up one spot to select J.J. McCarthy at No. 10 overall (the highest Minnesota has drafted a QB) and moving up the board to select outside linebacker Dallas Turner at No. 17 overall.


During 2025 free agency, the Vikings focused their early efforts on adding to the offensive and defensive lines.

Minnesota signed veteran interior defensive linemen Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave, as well as center Ryan Kelly and right guard Will Fries to begin this year's effort. The Vikings also re-signed cornerback Byron Murphy, Jr., and added to the position with free agents Isaiah Rodgers and Jeff Okudah.

The o-line efforts continued in the 2025 NFL Draft when Minnesota selected Donovan Jackson out of Ohio State with the 24th overall pick. Although Minnesota began with just four selections, Adofo-Mensah was able to navigate the board to add four more players and acquire backup QB Sam Howell by navigating the draft board with Day 2 and 3 trades.

Adofo-Mensah has gone beyond the advanced-planning acquisitions to execute key in-season deals just before trade deadlines. The first was in 2022 when Minnesota acquired Hockenson, who has already racked up 196 catches for 1,934 yards in 27 regular-season games played for the Vikings.

In 2023, Adofo-Mensah responded to Kirk Cousins' season-ending Achilles injury by adding QB Joshua Dobbs just before the trade deadline, and this past season, the Vikings acquired Cam Robinson to fill the large void created when Darrisaw was lost for the season in Week 8. Robinson helped Minnesota win nine consecutive games from Week 9-17.

Minnesota's regular-season win percentage of .667 during the tenure of Adofo-Mensah and O'Connell ranks sixth in the NFL behind the Chiefs (.784), Eagles (.765), Bills (.740), Lions (.706) and Ravens (.686). Only three other teams have win percentages above .600. The 49ers and Cowboys are at .608, and the Bengals are at .600 since 2022.

VIKINGS NAMED AP FIRST-TEAM ALL-PRO UNDER ADOFO-MENSAH

LS Andrew DePaola, 2022 & 2024

WR Justin Jefferson, 2022 & 2024

VIKINGS NAMED AP SECOND-TEAM ALL-PRO UNDER ADOFO-MENSAH
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#2
Good stuff, happy for KAM. I think he's an ascending GM and he had a learning curve, but I think he's a smart dude, he'll work to get to the next level and lean on his scouting staff to make optimal decisions. He's got last year's Draft and this year's to show people Minnesota is a franchise that will compete every year. I have guarded optimism with him, his ceiling is top tier if he can reach it.
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#3
I'm still cautiously optimistic on KAM. Drafts have to get better still. As has been discussed, much better dealing with known quantities in free agency or trading for established players. A ton is still riding on two guys we hope will be great in McCarthy and Turner but are unknowns. We'll see. Good for him getting an extension. Not thrilled about Grigson being promoted to assistant GM.
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#4
(05-30-2025, 09:44 AM)supafreak84 Wrote:  Not thrilled about Grigson being promoted to assistant GM.

Grigson's previous problem was interacting within the organization, soft skills - people skills. In this role, he's strictly looking at draft talent, which is a huge strength of his. He's very good at evaluations of prospects and that's all he'll be doing in this role. KAM is the diplomatic facilitating boss, so Grigson's biggest weakness disappears.
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#5
Peeps in high regard here called him a DEI hire, u know who you are.
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#6
(05-30-2025, 09:51 AM)StickierBuns Wrote: Grigson's previous problem was interacting within the organization, soft skills - people skills. In this role, he's strictly looking at draft talent, which is a huge strength of his. He's very good at evaluations of prospects and that's all he'll be doing in this role. KAM is the diplomatic facilitating boss, so Grigson's biggest weakness disappears.

No, his drafts weren't good and the Trent Richardson trade was one of the all time epic blunders. Those were the problems...he just wasn't good, so giving him a voice at the draft table (an area we have struggled in), is like someone asking Gavin Newsome for advise on the best way to combat wildfires.

(05-30-2025, 10:03 AM)Bullazin Wrote: Peeps in high regard here called him a DEI hire, u know who you are.

I did, and nobody can really say whether he was or if he wasn't, but you could connect those dots and I'll stand by my own opinion. Only the Wilfs truly know that answer. What's important at this point is continuing to make strides with the roster and this team to date has the biggest "KAM stamp" on it. This is his baby, so we'll see how it goes. We all hope for the best.
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#7
(05-30-2025, 10:31 AM)supafreak84 Wrote: No, his drafts weren't good and the Trent Richardson trade was one of the all time epic blunders. Those were the problems...he just wasn't good, so giving him a voice at the draft table (an area we have struggled in), is like someone asking Gavin Newsone for advise on the best way to combat wildfires.


I did, and nobody can really say whether he was or if he wasn't, but you could connect those dots and I'll stand by my own opinion. Only the Wilfs truly know that answer. What's important at this point is continuing to make strides with the roster and this team to date has the biggest "KAM stamp" on it. This is his baby, so we'll see how it goes. We all hope for the best.
Standing by it is worse than saying it in the first place.  What’s difficult about concluding it was a completely legitimate hire based on performance and potential?  It’s a discriminatory, racist trope, it’s as simple as that.
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#8
(05-30-2025, 10:41 AM)Bullazin Wrote: Standing by it is worse than saying it in the first place.  What’s difficult about concluding it was a completely legitimate hire based on performance and potential?  It’s a discriminatory, racist trope, it’s as simple as that.

I'm not going round and round on this, but there were better candidates based on resume, scouting acumen and overall NFL experience. The two finalists were Kwesi and a woman from Philly, who was also a VP of football operations with no scouting or actual personnel experience. So look at it through an honest lens and you tell me if there weren't other factors involved in what the Wilfs wanted in hiring their next GM after just shitcanning two old white dudes. 

None of this ultimately matters though. KAM is our guy and we'll roll with him for the foreseeable future.
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#9


Congratulations to all 3 men.
“Hell is empty and all the devils are here”

Shakespeare 
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#10
Good move and really not one that was ever in question IMO. He hasn't been perfect (his first draft was the worst in our history). But the '23, '24 and '25 drafts look much better. Bottom line is that the good he's done with the roster and the culture far outweighs the bad.
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