Forbes Writer Calls Vikings Trades ‘Rookie Mistakes’
Dustin Baker
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Remember the writer for Forbes who called Kirk Cousins “the issue” for the Minnesota Vikings last month?
Now he believes new general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah made “rookie mistakes” in trading with Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers on draft night.
Covering the NFL for over 30 years, Forbes‘ Steven Silverman evidently feels the franchise is just a comedy of miscues as of late, from Cousins’ extension with the team to draft swaps with the Lions and Packers.
On the first night of the draft, Adofo-Mensah executed this trade:
Lions Receive:
- 12th Pick (R1) – Jameson Williams (WR)
- 46th Pick (R2) – Josh Pascal (DE)
Vikings Receive:
- 32nd Pick (R1) – Lewis Cine (S)
- 34th Pick (R2) – Traded to Green Bay
- 66th Pick (R3) – Brian Asamoah (LB)
Then, Adofo-Mensah did business with Green Bay:
Packers Receive:
- 34th Pick (R2) – Christian Watson (WR)
Vikings Receive 53rd and 59th Picks:
**Traded 53rd, 77th, and 192nd pick to Colts**
- 42nd Pick (R2) – Andrew Booth Jr. (CB)
- 59th Pick (R2) – Ed Ingram (G)
- 122nd Pick (R4) – (Would turn out to be Akayleb Evans, CB)
On the trades, Silverman wrote Adofo-Mensah, “will eventually learn that trading within the division is a pursuit that is fraught with peril.”
He continued by stating the Vikings boss “did not know that while conducting his first draft as the man in charge.”
It is severely unlikely that Adofo-Mensah was unaware of the stakes in dealing with divisional foes. Still, Silverman offered the cautionary tale about making moves with teams the Vikings play twice annually.
Green Bay was reportedly finagling a deal no matter to draft Christian Watson — whether it was with the Vikings or the team(s) below Minnesota. So, Adofo-Mensah thought, “why not us” for seizing trade value. And according to all draft-trade calculators, the Vikings were the victors — at least per initial value — of the trade.
To the credit of Silverman’s hypothesis, though, all anyone will adjudicate about the trade is the performance of Watson and Williams. If one of those men blossoms to Pro Bowl stardom, the Vikings will be skewered in the court of public opinion. It won’t matter what Lewis Cine, Andrew Booth, Ed Ingram, or Akayleb Evans do in the league. Wide receivers are the players that commonfolk recognize, so the trade will always be about Watson and Williams.
Therefore, a more inclusive lens is needed to judge the trades in years to come. Or, if Watson and Williams flop, all is forgiven.
Overall, Adofo-Mensah was bold and risky, and seemingly everybody noticed.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. 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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