Does Kwesi Adofo-Mensah Win His Trades?
Does Kwesi Adofo-Mensah win his trades?
Since taking over as GM, Adofo-Mensah has been hard at work reshaping the roster. More and more, the Vikings are leaving the Rick Spielman days behind, increasingly taking on the image of the young executive who is now calling the shots.
A crucial component of the GM’s strategy has been to trade. And then trade some more.
A bit more than a year as the main decision maker has led to a whopping 15 trades (9 of which have arrived during the pair of drafts he has overseen). In every instance, the deals have involved either bringing in or shipping out draft capital. That’s not entirely surprising; it’s not too often we see GMs swap a player for a player. Even still, it’s worth keeping in the back of your mind.
Given how often Adofo-Mensah trades, it’s worth stepping back: has he been winning his deals?
I, for one, remain highly skeptical about his first ever trade as the GM. In a move absolutely no one saw coming, the Vikings found a dance partner in the Detroit Knee Biters Lions. Dropping from 12 to 32 is super painful, especially since the team didn’t gain a future first. Even more concerning is that Minnesota also kicked in the 46th pick.
In the end, the Lions got the 12th and 46th. The Vikings got the 32nd, 34th, and 66th. The return was too light, though the hope is certainly that Lewis Cine (alongside Brian Asamoah) will prove Adofo-Mensah right for dropping down.
Perhaps the trade that inspires the most positivity at this stage is the other deal with the Lions. Acquiring T.J. Hockenson – a 25-year-old TE1 – isn’t without pain. The team needed to move on from their 2023 2nd and 2024 3rd. Coming with the talented tight end, though, was a 2023 4th and 2024 4th (conditions). Otherwise, the most notable detail is simply that the Vikings will now need to hand over a sizable extension to the pass catcher.
In a lot of instances, things don’t look overly promising even as we constantly remind ourselves that we need to venture further into the future. Bernhard Raimann looks like a promising offensive tackle whereas Andrew Booth Jr. has struggled early on. The Colts also added Alec Pierce and Andrew Ogletree in that deal, so the initial moments suggest Indianapolis is looking good.
Shipping out draft capital for Ross Blacklock and Jalen Reagor appears misguided. After a full season in Minnesota, Blacklock and Reagor have failed to distinguish themselves. Heading into training camp, both players are legitimately fighting for their roster spots.
Plenty of Vikings fans expressed dismay about how little the team received for star edge rusher Za’Darius Smith. Pass rushers capable of piling up 10+ sacks are hard to come by, so merely netting a pair of 5ths while sending back a 6th and 7th feels a bit light. Even still, much of the appeal rested in recouping draft capital and honoring the player’s request for a new beginning. I’m not too worried about this one, but I do understand fan misgivings.
Truth be told, any examination of Kwesi’s trades is inherently flawed. The man has been in the captain’s chair for a bit more than a year. While he’s constantly in a state of reflection about the decisions he makes, Adofo-Mensah himself doesn’t even fully know if the deals he has made were all effective. We all need more time.
As more time passes, the hope is that we’ll see a trend of trade victories rise from the transactions page.
