Questions Answered: The Hot Seat for Kwesi, Michael Penix Jr., a Hot Draft Take
Dustin Baker
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The following questions are about current Minnesota Vikings topics, answered by VikingsTerritory. Today is the April 23rd edition, addressed in a from-the-hip fashion. If you have questions, please email them to [email protected].
Questions Answered: The Hot Seat for Kwesi, Michael Penix Jr., a Hot Draft Take
Also, please note: These are opinion-based responses. Some answers will be incorrect from time to time. But we’ll try to keep that to a minimum.
Q: Do you think Kwesi Adofo-Mensah is on the hot seat?
Answer: No. Not one bit.
This idea of Adofo-Mensah on the hot seat appeared to pick up steam because of The Athletic. Dianna Russini wrote this week, “I have a list of five GM’s who I believe need to nail this draft for their own job security and, more importantly, their team’s future. This Wednesday, my column will go live. But I’ll give you an exclusive here: The GM under the most pressure in this draft is the Vikings’ Kwesi Adofo-Mensah.”
“Three years into his regime, his Vikings are 20-14 but without a playoff win. After letting Kirk Cousins walk — despite his head coach’s public desire to keep the QB — Adofo-Mensah is running out of time. This might be the best opportunity he has to add a franchise-altering passer. I expect the Vikings to do everything they can do move up on Thursday to get their guy,” Russini concluded.
Any general manager sitting on the brink of drafting a 1st-Round quarterback experiences elevated stakes and suspect job security if the draft pick is bust. Adofo-Mensah is no different.
Suggesting his seat is warmer than most doesn’t make any sense — especially after the Vikings have the NFL’s ninth-best record on his watch while he rebuilds the depth chart.
No, we’re not buying the hot seat stuff — unless every general manager drafting a quarterback this week is also on the hot seat.
Q: Will you be disappointed if the Vikings end up with Michael Penix Jr. as the quarterback of the future?
Answer: Mildly disappointed, but we’ll warm up to it.
The knock on Penix Jr. is injury history; his is just so damn lengthy. But he does throw a beautiful football, and if Kevin O’Connell + Adofo-Mensah truly identify him as the guy after Kirk Cousins, we’d assuredly get behind it.
It’s just that we expect Minnesota to land Drake Maye or J.J. McCarthy. Penix Jr. feels like the insurance policy.
Q: What’s one of your hottest draft takes?
A: Adofo-Mensah will trade three or more times.
In addition to the impending trade for a quarterback, Adofo-Mensah will somehow trade back into Day No. 2 — the Vikings have zero picks scheduled for Friday — and that’s just the beginning.
Per his usual pedigree, Adofo-Mensah will wheel and deal during this draft, to the tune of three trades and maybe more.
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 Sal Spice. His MIN obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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