The Vikings Roster Spots Where Kwesi Pinches Pennies
Maybe Dalvin Tomlinson should have been the first clue.
A rock-solid player, Tomlinson came due for a new contract following the 2022 season. Predictably, there was outside interest in the powerful yet nimble defensive tackle, including from Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s former employer, the Browns. Minnesota wanted to keep the defender but ended up losing out; Tomlinson was signed by Cleveland to a four-year, $57 million deal.
More recently, there was the miss on DT Christian Wilkins, a tremendous defender who signed with the Raiders for four years and $110 million (a number that makes Tomlinson’s deal look like a bargain). The rumors were that Minnesota was interested but Las Vegas emptied the ATM.
The issue has created a situation where the Vikings’ top defensive tackle is Harrison Phillips, a defender who agreed to a three-year pact back in 2022 for just $19.5 million. It’s a middle class deal, the kind of contract that currently characterizes a large portion of the roster.
The Vikings Roster Spot Where Kwesi Has Been a Bit Skittish to Spend Too Much Money
The notable detail is that it’s not just the interior of the defensive line. The interior offensive line sees a similar degree of penny pinching.
Since taking over, Adofo-Mensah has been responsible for exclusively small and medium deals for the iOL. Garrett Bradbury was retained for a trio of seasons at a total of $15.75 million. Fast forward a year and Blake Brandel landed a three-year agreement worth a total of $9.5 million.
That’s as high as it goes. A pile of guards were getting major money during the current offseason and Minnesota stayed out of the spending spree.
In time, perhaps, the trend will undo itself. The perfect DT or OG could emerge and Adofo-Mensah could spend a ton. As of right now, though, the GM appears to be someone who doesn’t like to fling major money at those spots.
To be sure, a fear of spending isn’t the issue. Justin Jefferson just landed a historic four-year extension that promises to pay $140 million. Danielle Hunter got some large compensation for a single season and T.J. Hockenson signed a large extension last training camp, too. Jonathan Greenard just snagged $76 million over four years, a beefy deal that isn’t at the top of the market but certainly quite expensive.
The issue seems more localized, fitting into specific spots where the young GM is looking to gain value.
Ed Ingram has been a starter at right guard, doing so while on his cost-controlled rookie contract. Ezra Cleveland was on his rookie deal while at left guard and then traded before an extension could factor into the mix. Dalton Risner has been added as a free agent but always as a bargain. Otherwise, there have been cheap depth options like Chris Reed, Dan Feeney, and Austin Schlottmann.
Defensively, the trend mostly holds. Dean Lowry landed a medium deal, which ended up being a mistake. The two-year commitment and $8.5 million in promised pay was undercut after just a single season of sackless production.
Otherwise, there have been additions like Ross Blacklock, Jerry Tillery, Jonathan Bullard, and Jonah Williams. Some players with upside; some players with steady floors. No bank-breaking all stars.
Kwesi Adofo-Mensah hasn’t been in charge for very long. He has been leading the charge for less than three years, long enough to see some trends but not long enough to make ironclad determinations about how he’ll always operate.
One notable detail of his tenure, though, is that the interior linemen on both offense and defense haven’t been getting paid very much.
Editor’s Note: Information from Over the Cap helped with this piece.
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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.