Lingering Situation Unresolved for Vikings
Within a week of the Minnesota Vikings’ 2024 campaign ending on a rather rotten note, a Wildcard Round loss at the Los Angeles Rams, the team’s ownership extended head coach Kevin O’Connell’s contract.
Lingering Situation Unresolved for Vikings
Bleacher Report‘s Julia Stumbaugh wrote at the time, “Kevin O’Connell is sticking around in Minneapolis for the long haul and general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah appears likely to stay with him. After the Minnesota Vikings and O’Connell agreed to a multiyear extension on Tuesday, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reported talks are underway on an extension for Adofo-Mensah.”
So … what gives? Adofo-Mensah’s extension has lingered for four months, and in fact, might be the final item on the offseason to-do list.
When Will Vikings Lock in Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s Extension?
During the 2024 offseason, Justin Jefferson’s impending contract extension dominated post-draft conversations regarding the Vikings. Multiple media outlets even erroneously reported that the situation could end in a trade, which was a wildly outlandish and false idea.
Jefferson’s extension hit the books on June 3rd, so perhaps the next few weeks are just the time on the calendar when the Vikings’ owners prefer long-term, impactful agreements.
Otherwise, with O’Connell re-upped for the long haul right away in the offseason, some believe it’s a little weird for Adofo-Mensah’s extension to take so long.
No Debate about It Actually Happening
The caveat here is certainty. Reporters have asked the franchise’s owners, Mark and Zygi Wilf, about their attitude toward extending Adofo-Mensah a couple of times, and in each case, they replied affirmatively and with no doubt whatsoever.
Media members asked Mark Wilf in March if his goal was to prolong Adofo-Mensah’s stay as the head boss in Minnesota. He replied, “Yes, it is.”
The response left nothing to mystery, so the Adofo-Mensah questions are really just about timing. Before the draft, Adofo-Mensah told reporters that no long-term contract was “on him” because he was fixated on the day-to-day doings of free agency and the draft’s lead-up. He essentially said he didn’t have time for contract talks, at least not until after the draft.
It’s worth noting that Adofo-Mensah’s current deal is scheduled to run out after the 2026 NFL Draft. He’s not a lame duck.
The Competitive Rebuild Is Over; Super Bowl Contendership Is Here
Adofo-Mensah spent three offseasons rebuilding his roster, offloading aging veterans’ expensive contracts to prepare for, well — now. He drafted Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy in April 2024 to lead the organization into the future, and that youngster is on tap to fill the QB1 job this September.
With his rebuild in the rearview, Adofo-Mensah also spent like a fiend in free agency two months ago, building Minnesota’s offensive and defensive trenches at long last.
In that vein, an extension is an utter no-brainer. Fans, ownership, players, and Adofo-Mensah personally will see the fruits of his labor play out in real-time some four months from now.
Some Fans’ Perception of Adofo-Mensah’s Draft Failures
Of course, Adofo-Mensah has naysayers.
His first draft class, the 2022 batch, absolutely floundered and flopped. The young executive simply picked the wrong players and probably surrendered too much in his first trade as the boss, a deal with the Detroit Lions that sent him 20 spots back on the draftboard and connected him to Lewis Cine and Andrew Booth.
Those naysayers scream the loudest about Adofo-Mensah’s alleged incompetence and are the first to brainstorm wild theories about the Vikings’ ownership possibly not wanting Adofo-Mensah for the long haul.
The “delay” only fuels Adofo-Mensah’s detractors.
Other Perspectives
PurplePTSD‘s Kyle Joudry wrote about Adofo-Mensah’s state of play in February: “Would Kwesi Adofo-Mensah really do something other than be the GM of the Minnesota Vikings? Is there a problem in terms of overall compensation? Something else? Does the impasse lead to the team and executive going into the final year of Adofo-Mensah’s contract without an extension?”
“The NFL offseason is well underway. Soon, the NFL Combine is going to arrive. Free agency is soon to follow and then there will be the draft.”
Most fans, even the anti-Kwesi crowd, commended him for the 2024 and 2025 free-agent classes.
Joudry added, “At the end of the day, money is still what makes the NFL move. Minnesota is going to be able to do business. But, to be sure, having organizational stability is a positive, a reality that may reasonably factor into some players’ decision-making — especially veterans — when it comes to picking a team to play for in 2025 (and beyond).”
“An extension for Kwesi Adofo-Mensah should get done before these critical offseason events take place. Right now, though, it’s anyone’s guess if/when there will be a resolution.”
Onlookers should expect an extension for Adofo-Mensah before too long, probably in the next two months before training camp in July.
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