Just one month ago, some people wondered if the Minnesota Vikings would win five games this season. But after Sunday’s win over the New Orleans Saints, the Vikings are riding a five-game winning streak that has brought them back into playoff contention.
There are several players and coaches who you can credit for willing the Vikings back into the playoff picture. However, there’s one man who has been on an absolute heater over the past year, and his name is Kwesi Adofo-Mensah.
People questioned Adofo-Mensah’s performance during the early part of the season. But Minnesota’s ability to lose crucial players and keep winning games is exactly what he had in mind when he uttered the words “competitive rebuild.” Now, Adofo-Mensah’s efforts could help Minnesota sneak its way into the playoffs.
Consider where Minnesota’s roster was one year ago. He thrust the aging shell of the Mike Zimmer/Rick Spielman Vikings back onto the field one last time to see if they could get something out of it that the previous regime couldn’t. Kevin O’Connell’s culture played a huge role in their 8-1 start, but Minnesota needed something to put it all together when they approached the trade deadline.
By acquiring T.J. Hockenson, Adofo-Mensah had pushed his chips toward the center of the table for the first time. Hockenson finished third on the Vikings with 60 receptions despite showing up halfway through the season. Before the season, he cashed in with a four-year, $68.5 million contract.
Hockenson got off to a rocky start with five drops in the first five games. However, he’s rebounded to be second among all tight ends and wide receivers with 70 catches this season – three behind Keenan Allen for the NFL lead.
The Hockenson deal was a sign that Adofo-Mensah knew when to buy at the right time. However, there were still some signs that concerned Vikings fans. Many people had mixed feelings about last season. Adofo-Mensah moved on from Adam Thielen, Dalvin Cook, and Eric Kendricks. Although they brought in Brian Flores to fix the defense, many of their moves were made between the margins to navigate their salary cap issues.
Minnesota signed Marcus Davenport to a one-year, $13 million deal and Byron Murphy Jr. to a two-year, $17.5 million contract in free agency. Davenport and Murphy were unknowns, but they provided serviceable replacement for Za’Darius Smith, who they traded to the Cleveland Browns, and Patrick Peterson, who signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers in free agency.
The other moves, such as a drawn-out negotiation with Hockenson on a new contract and failed negotiations on extensions for Justin Jefferson and Kirk Cousins, made it seem like things weren’t going well. Minnesota’s decision to bring back Alexander Mattison to replace Cook didn’t pan out. The Vikings limped to a 1-4 start and had the worst turnover differential in the league.
You could look at each of those moves in a vacuum and say that Adofo-Mensah has batted .500 as he’s looked to improve his roster. However, even some of the best general managers occasionally whiff.
John Lynch traded a mountain of draft picks to give the San Francisco 49ers a chance to draft Trey Lance. The New England Patriots are crumbling after years of dominance under Bill Belichick. Carson Wentz flamed out after a few seasons of success with Howie Roseman’s Philadelphia Eagles. Even Kansas City Chiefs general manager Brett Veach had to trade Tyreek Hill after he got too close to the salary cap.
No general manager is perfect. But when they hit, they hit big.
Consider how big of a factor Hockenson is in the Vikings’ offense or how Jordan Addison has seemingly stepped in as a top target after Jefferson’s hamstring injury. Look at how Murphy has become a serviceable cornerback in Flores’ scheme. Or how the rest of the 2023 draft class, including Mekhi Blackmon, has hit after Adofo-Mensah had a full year of scouting under his belt.
All of these microtransactions had a positive effect on the Vikings. However, nothing compares to the Josh Dobbs acquisition. Dobbs was a bit of a mystery because the Cleveland Browns and Tennessee Titans only started the 28-year-old on a moment’s notice. Fans even were confused when Cleveland traded Dobbs to the Arizona Cardinals before the start of the season. He played eight games in Arizona before they traded him to the Vikings after Cousins went down with a season-ending Achilles injury.
For most teams, a slew of questionable moves could send them tumbling up the draft board. But Adofo-Mensah has stayed the course even when many general managers would have folded and tanked for a quarterback in a class that includes Caleb Williams and Drake Maye.
It may not be big enough to help the Vikings win the Super Bowl this year. But it could be enough for Adofo-Mensah to show that his grand plan of a competitive rebuild is working.
