Vikings Owner Addresses the Future of GM, HC
Minnesota Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and head coach Kevin O’Connell have two years remaining on their existing contracts — but some onlookers wanted to know if the duo would be extended a year in advance.
Vikings Owner Addresses the Future of GM, HC
After comments from Vikings co-owner Mark Wilf on Tuesday, the answer seems like no, as the executive may want to see the team’s trajectory after this season before taking the plunge.
“We’re focused on the season ahead,” Wilf replied when asked about extensions for Adofo-Mensah and O’Connell. He also made it abundantly clear that he was happy with the team’s direction.
Wilf said about extensions specifically: “It’s not something we’re talking about at this point.”
Minnesota parted ways with former general manager Rick Spielman and head coach Mike Zimmer in January 2022, hiring Adofo-Mensah and O’Connell shortly after. On the tandem’s watch, the Vikings have the NFL’s ninth-best win-loss record at 20-14 (.588).
However, Adofo-Mensah and O’Connell might have produced in a direction opposite to the norm. In 2022, Minnesota finished 13-4 before saying goodbye to veterans like Dalvin Cook, Adam Thielen, and Eric Kendricks, among others, winning the NFC North for the first time in five years. The franchise re-upped for 2023 with high hopes once again but fired up a 7-10 record, mainly because quarterback Kirk Cousins fell injured in Week 8. He missed the rest of the season with a torn Achilles.
In hindsight, though impossible to fix, Vikings fans probably would’ve preferred a 7-10 start to the Adofo-Mensah-O’Connell era, with a 13-4 follow-up. No cigar.
Reporters also asked O’Connell about an extension, and he shot down any chatter regarding that real fast. “I’ve took some questions from this group about what I’ve learned since day one on this job, and I can tell you, the one thing is you do not have time, energy, or anything like that to worry about things that are outside of your control,” O’Connell replied. “I’ve got a full-time gig here where I’ve gotta focus on these players, these coaches, and making sure we’re having ourselves the best training camp we’ve ever had here, which will hopefully lead into a successful season.”
The Vikings are expected to win about six or seven games this season, featuring a quarterback twosome of veteran Sam Darnold and J.J. McCarthy. Adofo-Mensah cut ties with the aforementioned Cousins after six years in March and drafted McCarthy six weeks later.
“I’m very much focused on the task at hand and doing my job every single day, looking for any way I can be better for this organization and this team,” O’Connell added.
On the whole, it might be a little strange for Minnesota’s ownership to extend Adofo-Mensah or O’Connell now. Conventional logic suggests it will want to see how the 2024 draft class pans out or at least get a drop on McCarthy’s staying power in the sport.
It’s not uncommon for general managers and head coaches to enter the second-to-last year of their contracts without an extension. Not one bit.
The Vikings’ preseason begins Saturday with a home game versus the Las Vegas Raiders.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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