Celebrating The 2-Year Anniversary of the Kwesi Hire by Debating the GM’s 2 Best Decisions
K. Joudry
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On January 26th, 2022, the Minnesota Vikings made the announcement on Twitter. Kwesi Adofo-Mensah was going to make the leap from Cleveland to Minneapolis so that he could officially become the franchise’s next general manager. No doubt, the Kwesi hire has been of tremendous importance for the direction of the franchise.
There is much to admire in the young executive’s approach.
Genuinely, he’s a brilliant guy. He is willing to stick to his guns. The man has a vision and then the gumption to attempt to bring it to fruition. He’ll make the necessary decisions — even controversial ones — in pursuit of that vision. He consistently leaves himself with options as his contracts progress (read more) and some of his more recent picks look to be excellent. And while there has been some mistakes along the way, Adofo-Mensah has put together some strong decisions.
The Kwesi Hire and the GM’s 2 Best Decisions
Some of you are expecting T.J. Hockenson, but the tight end won’t be found among the pair of best decisions. No, there shouldn’t be any regrets in Minnesota about onboarding the top-tier tight end, but some decisions are better than the trade for Detroit’s excellent playmaker.
Principally, I’ll be weighing value above all else. Snagging Jordan Addison in Round 1 is a tidy bit of work for Mr. Adofo-Mensah. Snagging Ivan Pace Jr. is even better, though.
After all, the rookie linebacker arrived as an UDFA.
The Vikings had a relatively modest draft class, welcoming just a half dozen players into the purple fold. Absolutely nailing an UDFA signing is akin to manufacturing a high draft pick out of thin air. If the 2023 NFL Draft took place again, where would Pace be picked? Gotta think someone takes the plunge on Day 2 at the latest.
Folks, let’s keep things in perspective.
NaJee Thompson was a wonderful success as an UDFA. Why? Simply because he’s a monster on special teams. The UDFA who establishes excellence in specials is a tremendous win. What about a strong starter on defense? What about someone who gets the green dot tossed onto his helmet and doesn’t miss a beat?
By the end of the season, Pace had picked up 102 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, 2.5 sacks, 9 QB hits, 1 interception, 2 passes defended, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery. He played in all 17 games, starting 11, while piling up 706 snaps for Brian Flores and 249 snaps for Matt Daniels. All of that for a rookie who (apparently) wasn’t good enough to be drafted.
And then what about the deal to extend Josh Metellus?
The GM was ahead of the sticks with his decision. For some reason, Ed Donatell refused to get Metellus onto the field with much consistency. Flores rectified the issue, giving the fourth-year safety 1,065 snaps (which is to say nothing of the 194 special teams snaps).
The safety didn’t disappoint, picking up 116 tackles, 7 tackles for a loss, 2.5 sacks, 10 QB hits, 1 interception, 5 passes defended, 4 forced fumbles, and 1 fumble recovery.
Oh, and he was a favored Flores weapon, being sent on a blitz a stunning 91 times. Pace, for those keeping score at home, got sent on 74 blitzes.
And what kind of deal is Mr. Metellus walking into? A 2-year, $8 million extension that features a $2,225,000 cap hit in 2024. Now that is value. Excellent work from Kwesi to have the foresight to get that extension sorted out before the season. Metellus just turned 26 and looks ready to take on the role of being Minnesota’s #1 safety.
Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has made some mistakes. Earlier in the day, we took a few minutes to explore a couple of them. But even though things haven’t always been smooth sailing, Adofo-Mensah has done some snappy work on various occasions. The Ivan Pace and Josh Metellus moves look to be arguably his best decisions.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference and Over the Cap helped with this piece.
The Anatomy of a Kwesi Contract (Version 2.0)
K. Joudry is the Senior Editor for Vikings Territory and PurplePTSD. He has been covering the Vikings full time since the summer of 2021. He can be found on Twitter and as a co-host for Notes from the North, a humble Vikings podcast.