Randy Moss, Cris Carter, Randall Cunningham
The Minnesota Vikings hired a new general manager on Wednesday, and he’s saying all the right things.
Not only is Kwesi Adofo-Mensah ushering an era fundamentally different from the Spielman-Zimmer years, but he’s also a student of Vikings (and Eagles?) history, evidently.
Adofo-Mensah was featured in a video segment for Vikings media on Saturday, detailing some of his biographical information in a lighthearted format. You can peek at that here.
His mom’s Jollof Rice is his go-to meal, Shawshank Redemption is his top film — and Randall Cunningham was his favorite football player as a youngster. Yes, the man who played for the Vikings in 1998.
Cunningham joined the Vikings in 1997 as a backup to Brad Johnson, orchestrating an underrated playoff win in that season against the New York Giants. In New York, during the wildcard round of the NFC playoffs, the Vikings stunned the Giants with a remarkable late comeback, capped by a Jake Reed touchdown.
The next year, Minnesota re-upped with Johnson as QB1 — a weird move in hindsight — but Cunningham seized the starting job once again. The Vikings barnstormed the NFL, finishing the 1998 campaign with a 15-1 record, a Rookie of the Year award for Randy Moss, and one of the greatest NFL offenses of all time.
Regrettably, Minnesota lost at home in the NFC Championship because of fatal field-goal kicking and ungodly clock management late in the 4th Quarter.
But Adofo-Mensah remembers. It probably helped his Cunningham mention that he grew up in New Jersey in a place renown for Philadelphia Eagles fandom. Cunningham played 11 seasons with the Eagles before encountering journeyman status around the NFL. However, none of his seasons, before or after the 1998 campaign with the Vikings, were as prolific. Cunningham threw 34 touchdowns in 14 starts during the 1998 season, an impressive feat in an NFL era known for running the football and playing defense. Players could hit quarterbacks and playmakers back then.
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Next up for Adofo-Mensah? Well, two primary items. He must hire a head coach, a transaction likely to happen within the next week. Frontrunners for the job are Jonathan Gannon (Eagles), Patrick Graham (Giants), DeMeco Ryan (49ers), Raheem Morris (Rams), and Kevin O’Connell (Rams).
After that, Adofo-Mensah must decide on Kirk Cousins’ future — trade him or extend him.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sally from Minneapolis. His Viking fandom dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).
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