Will Kwesi Adofo-Mensah Continue To Trade?
K. Joudry
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Since Kwesi Adofo-Mensah was hired (and even before being hired), there has been a lot of chatter about his background as a trader on Wall Street. Part of the reason, quite evidently, is due to the uniqueness of the career progression. One has to think that most NFL GMs don’t have this background on Wall Street.
In his opening press conference, Adofo-Mensah was asked about this work experience. One thing that seems to be consistent in his responses is that he doesn’t see there being too much difference between what he was doing before and what he’ll be doing as a GM. Both positions require someone to gather evidence, perform an analysis, and then make a difficult decision.
One thing that’ll be interesting to watch is whether Kwesi Adofo-Mensah will draw on this trader past to, well, make some NFL trades.
The salary cap, as I’ve been suggesting across all kinds of pieces, is something that needs major work. Free agency begins on March 16 at 3 p.m. CT. As a result, the purple finances will need their overhaul in less than two months. Adofo-Mensah will therefore be tasked with several important decisions, though we shouldn’t forget that he’ll have some great support. Cap wizard Rob Brzezinski is still around to help with the financial end of things.
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One way to create room is to pursue a trade or two. Kirk Cousins and Danielle Hunter, reasonably enough, are likely the two names the come to people’s minds. They have the two largest cap hits next season. A trade would free up $35 million for the QB; a trade involving the DE would free up more than $14.6 million (shout out to OTC).
Other names that could receive interest are Adam Thielen, Eric Kendricks, and Garrett Bradbury. I know what you’re thinking: who would want Bradbury? Not every team, that’s for sure. Don’t forget, though, that he was held in high regard by a large portion of the league just a few years ago. He is also a plus blocker in the run game. It’s possible someone would trade a late rounder for him.
The appeal for Thielen and Kendricks is obvious. Both are well-respected, veteran leaders who are sensational on the field. Kendricks has two years remaining on his salary and none of the money is guaranteed, so it’s a relatively low-risk move from a financial standpoint. Thielen’s current deal is likely untradeable, so he would need to agree to a reworked contract to make it happen. I don’t see any of these three trades as being likely, though it wouldn’t be shocking to see them in a different uniform next season.
As with pretty much everything else at this point, we’ll need to wait and see. What I can say is that it won’t really be surprising to see some high-profile Vikings included in a trade or two.
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