Slowly, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s Team Building Philosophy is Coming into Focus

It’s worth stating right at the top that we need far more time to truly get a sense of the purple GM’s philosophy. Nevertheless, there are insights we can glean. Kwesi Adofo-Mensah is adjusting the Vikings roster in a very methodical, purposeful manner.

The Jaguars may be looked at as the opposite of the Vikings’ approach. They’re in the midst of throwing around money willy-nilly, bringing aboard players for massive amounts. True, they have a young QB to build around, but one wonders about the wisdom of tossing all that money at Christian Kirk, Brandon Scherff, and Foyesade Oluokun.

Thankfully, we’re not Jaguars fans.

KAM has been moving slowly, much to the chagrin of many Vikings fans. Rather than pull off the moves we’ve all discussed and hoped for, he has mostly been constrained to medium-sized deals. Michael Pierce was cut, which always was the decision that made the most sense. Harrison Phillips and Jordan Hicks were brought in. Neither are elite, but both have received a ton of praise for their character. Greg Joseph looks like he’ll be back in purple, and Kirk Cousins inked the extension.

All of these decision point to an overall philosophy, one that is intentionally measured and thoughtful. Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, I would assume, must have been tempted to, say, throw more money Austin Corbett or perhaps even a huge-name like J.C. Jackson. Instead, it’s modest deals that give the team future financial flexibility.

The obvious exception rests with Cousins. Minnesota traded away their flexibility over these next two seasons in exchange for reduced cap charges. It’s worth remembering that KAM inherited this QB situation. He had the decision to make regarding what to do about it, and bringing the veteran back for manageable numbers in 2022 and 2023 seemed like the best decision to him. We’ll see if that ends up being the wise move.

As things continue to progress, we’ll learn more about Kwesi’s approach. So far, he has been hesitant to move on from the team’s talented players. He has looked for players who can be great in the locker room and strong on the field. Let’s see if that continues moving forward, especially since the team has work to do to get under the cap.