Familiar Source Spreads Wild Kwesi Adofo-Mensah Rumor
He claims the Minnesota Vikings might be rudderless at the top of the organization.
Familiar Source Spreads Wild Kwesi Adofo-Mensah Rumor
That’s the latest theory from ProFootballTalk.com‘s Mike Florio, who, in the last year, has advanced theories involving a Justin Jefferson trade, Minnesota possibly swapping a 1st-Round pick due to Kirk Cousins + Atlanta Falcons tampering, and tension with the Vikings + Kevin O’Connell.
This time, Florio claims nobody knows who’s calling the shots for the purple team, calling into question general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s job description.
“There is a sense from people who are dealing with the Vikings that they don’t know who’s in charge. They don’t know who’s calling the shots. Maybe that’s deliberate, maybe it’s part of the strategy, maybe it’s part of the negotiation. I don’t know,” Florio told KFAN this week.
It’s worth noting that most Florio-fueled rumors turn out to be utterly false.
Florio added, “But there’s a real sense of confusion as to who’s got the final say on this. Who wants Darnold, who wants McCarthy, who’s making these decisions?”
“It’s created this sense, you’ve seen from reports that it’s very fluid, one reason why it’s fluid is because nobody’s got a clear picture of who, at the end of the day, is making the call between Darnold and McCarthy.”
The Vikings have four days to determine Sam Darnold’s fate, the team’s 2024 QB1, who will hit the open market if not re-signed by Minnesota. Last year at this time on the calendar, some segments of NFL-themed media claimed that O’Connell fought tooth and nail to retain Kirk Cousins, while Adofo-Mensah preferred an exit ramp.
O’Connell later embraced Darnold and rookie passer J.J. McCarthy, and his team won 14 games without Cousins.
What’s more, Adofo-Mensah reportedly missed some of the NFL Combine last week, dealing with an illness, prompting O’Connell to take center stage representing the Vikings. Of course, conspiracy theorists found deeper meaning in Adofo-Mensah’s ailment, claiming that O’Connell might secretly call the shots.
The Vikings extended O’Connell’s contract at the offseason’s onset, just days after some — like Florio — advanced trade theories regarding the young head coach. At the time, Adofo-Mensah was on tap for an imminent extension, but that has not occurred as of March 6th.
If Darnold departs next week, teams like the Las Vegas Raiders, Pittsburgh Steelers, New York Giants, and Tennessee Titans are expected to poke around his free agency.
The Vikings own the league’s sixth-best win percentage since Adofo-Mensah and O’Connell took over three years ago.
Some Vikings fans remain steadfast in believing that Adofo-Mensah’s job security could be suspect because of his failed 2022 draft class, though an extension is expected to materialize this offseason.
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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 MIN 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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