Kwesi Adofo-Mensah is Facing the Music
Fans amongst the Vikings kingdom are coming around to the idea that Kwesi Adofo-Mensah may not be the general manager that we were hoping him to be. His 2024 free agency haul was an absolute masterclass, with names like Blake Cashman and Andrew Van Ginkel becoming immediate difference-makers on Brian Flores’ vaunted defensive unit.
2024 was last year, and unfortunately for the 2025 free agency class, the story isn’t quite the same. Offensive guard Will Fries and defensive lineman Jonathan Allen have been fine, but Ryan Kelly hasn’t been able to stay on the field, suffering two concussions within the first few games of Minnesota’s 2025 campaign. The other big snag of free agency this past offseason, Jonathan Hargrave, has not come anywhere near his expectations that we laid upon him when he signed the dotted line in March.
Other than the flopping 2025 free agency class, Adofo-Mensah has made some questionable trades. The T.J. Hockenson trade and subsequent extension are starting to look like a disaster (and it wasn’t a good transaction either before he tore his ACL).
Trades for former high draft picks like Jalen Reagor and Ross Blacklock went absolutely nowhere, and the recent trade for Vikings legend Adam Thielen to come home has been an absolute flop as well, even with it being a feel-good story.
Draft Shortcomings During the KAM Era
While his overall performance in free agency has been fine, Adofo-Mensah’s resume when it comes to the NFL Draft has been quite abysmal. Consider his track record; of his first two drafts as general manager of the Vikings, only two out of a possible 16 players remain on the team. Those two players are WR Jalen Nailor (drafted in 2022) and WR Jordan Addison (drafted in 2023).
And truly, it’s hard to give Adofo-Mensah a ton of credit even then. WR Addison was one of a couple of can’t-miss picks at the time of their selection. Not to be super mean, but the average Vikings Twitter user probably would’ve made that same selection if put in his shoes, all due respect to the countless hours scouts spend looking at these players.
And yes, here’s your mention that Adofo-Mensah traded down with Kyle Hamilton still on the board with their division rival, the Detroit Lions, to step back and take Lewis Cine.
Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s Fate Rests in J.J. McCarthy’s and Dallas Turner’s Hands
Without a doubt, Adofo-Mensah’s legacy is up to the 2024 first-round selections J.J. McCarthy and Dallas Turner. Not only is spending a first-round pick on a player a substantial investment in the team’s future, but trading a lot of future assets to move up for the selection adds a whole new layer. Yes, the Vikings did a small trade-up with the New York Jets to select McCarthy. However, the bigger investment was in Turner, who came seven picks after McCarthy got the call from the Vikings.
Of course, the quarterback selection and hope for development is greater than any other position they could’ve drafted, but the compensation Minnesota sent to the Jacksonville Jaguars is nothing to scoff at. The Vikings sent them the 23rd and 167th picks in the 2024 NFL Draft, as well as third-round and fourth-round selections in the 2025 NFL Draft.
This is some true big-time capital to send for a player, although in Adofo-Mensah’s defense, if there are two positions to trade up for in the draft, if you think there’s a player who can be the guy, it’s quarterback and edge rusher.
Time is ticking on the development of McCarthy and Turner. Therefore, it ticks for Kwesi Adofo-Mensah.
Since the time is ticking on these two players that Adofo-Mensah sunk heavy investments into, the clock is ticking on him as well. It’s likely that if at some point down the road Adofo-Mensah were to get the can, Kevin O’Connell wouldn’t get sent packing along with him. Therefore, if anyone needs McCarthy and Turner to pan out, it’s the man who selected them himself.
The unfortunate news is that the development of both players hasn’t started too well. Turner is nowhere near the immediate game-changer that we thought he would be. At first, it was fair to say he wasn’t getting a ton of opportunity since the Vikings already employ an elite pass-rushing duo in Andrew Van Ginkel and Jonathan Greenard. Yet, even in the absence of Van Ginkel, Turner hasn’t been as effective as Vikings fans would hope.
Obviously, Adofo-Mensah can’t be held too accountable for the question marks regarding McCarthy. McCarthy has only been truly suited up for two games out of a possible 25 games (including playoffs), since he was drafted, due to injuries. If it’s quickly apparent that McCarthy, in fact, is not the guy that the regime and fan base were hoping for him to be, expect these conversations regarding Kwesi’s job security to heat up even more.
