The Vikings’ GM Disagrees
K. Joudry
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Outside of Eagan, a common belief is that Minnesota doesn’t have too many options. A trade up the board is a necessity since none of Sam Darnold, Nick Mullens, and/or Jaren Hall appear ready to take over as the QB1.
Notably, the Vikings’ GM disagrees.
Just consider what former Minnesota general manager Rick Spielman had to say: “They’re setting themselves up to go get a quarterback, they don’t have a choice.” No doubt, there are other NFL analysts who have an identical opinion. Presumably, there are even plenty of people in the league who think Minnesota is locked into moving up. Do we trust Kwesi Adofo-Mensah when he says that Minnesota doesn’t share the widespread perspective?
The Vikings’ GM Disagrees about Being Compelled to Trade Up
Adofo-Mensah had an unusual journey toward becoming an NFL GM. Fittingly, Adofo-Mensah is willing to make decisions that some consider unusual.
Think back to when he was basically brand new to the job. Adofo-Mensah pulled off a stunning deal with the Detroit Lions, moving on from picks No. 12 and No. 46 in the 2022 NFL Draft in exchange for No. 32, No. 34, and No. 66. Now, there are reasonable criticisms of this move — I’ve certainly voiced critiques — but don’t miss the main point: Adofo-Mensah was more than willing to do something bold, unexpected, and controversial.
Is an encore on the way for 2024? Does Adofo-Mensah make another unexpected, controversial decision in the opening round? Right now, the wild decision would be not trading.
The word we’ve heard consistently throughout the offseason is flexibility. Adofo-Mensah has been tossing the idea out there but he hasn’t been alone; Kevin O’Connell and Mark Wilf have also joined the fun.
The Vikings’ belief about having flexibility refutes the idea of being boxed into a corner. By all accounts, the belief seems genuine. The most recent press conference featured Adofo-Mensah explaining how leverage works in a negotiation and a willingness to venture into different options in the draft if the price gets too outlandish.
Now, the reality we’re discussing doesn’t preclude the possibility of trading up for a quarterback. After all, Minnesota’s GM has discussed being in love with multiple passers in the 2024 NFL Draft. Similarly, he explained that he won’t allow the risk associated with trading up to dissuade him from putting together a compelling trade offer if the team’s main leaders think that’s the best course of action.
And even if there’s some skepticism about Adofo-Mensah bluffing in an effort not to tip his hand, there’s a bit of a sense around the NFL that maybe Minnesota really does avoid the most predictable outcome of pairing their picks for a trade up.
Apparently, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler has heard that packaging picks No. 11 and No. 23 isn’t a foregone conclusion.
Josh Frey relays the word from Fowler: “You got Minnesota armed with two first round picks. This is the team that could be active. I’ve talked to several teams, though, who believe that Minnesota at least right now, doesn’t want to part with that second first rounder, which is in the 20s. They want to try to preserve that, which could be tough to move up into the top five for a quarterback.”
Note: Fowler isn’t necessarily saying Minnesota doesn’t want a quarterback. Rather, the NFL insider is suggesting that the Vikings may be reluctant to pair the opening-round selections in a trade up.
At the end of the day, nothing is certain as of Tuesday, April 16th. Adofo-Mensah could move his Vikings through any number of eventualities. And while it looks likely that an aggressive trade up for a QB occurs, the Vikings’ GM disagrees that moving up is his only play once Thursday, April 25th arrives.
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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.