Minnesota Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah spoke to reporters for the first time in a couple months during a press conference on Wednesday afternoon at TCO Performance Center. As anticipated, there was a lot to discuss.
Unsurprisingly, Adofo-Mensah was bombarded with questions about Aaron Rodgers and the Vikings' level of interest in the legendary 41-year-old quarterback. The brief summary of his mostly-vague responses on that matter is that he and Kevin O'Connell spoke directly with Rodgers and the team has decided not to go down that road at this time, but nothing can ever be 100 percent ruled out. You can read more about that here.
Adofo-Mensah was also asked about several other topics pertaining to the Vikings' offseason. Two of the most notable involve his contract status and the team's belief in J.J. McCarthy, the 22-year-old who is in line to be their starting quarterback this fall. Let's dive into his comments on those two subjects.
It's been over two months since the Vikings signed O'Connell to a lucrative four-year contract extension that keeps him in Minnesota through the 2029 season. No such deal has been completed for Adofo-Mensah, who was hired a few weeks before O'Connell in 2022 and is currently heading into the final year of his contract. That may seem a bit strange to those on the outside, but Adofo-Mensah's public stance is that it isn't something he even thinks about very often.
"I don't think about that very much, I'll be honest," he said. "This is probably the busiest time of the year for myself and my staff, and so I wake up every morning trying to make sure the Vikings get to the ultimate goal I want to get us to. Just like we say with player contracts, it's a process. These things take time. I promise you I don't wake up thinking about that for one second. I wake up thinking about how do we improve this team, how do we beat the other teams in our division, how do we get to the playoffs and how do we go further?"
Adofo-Mensah said there's been positive dialogue between the two sides and that he'll occasionally check in with his agent to see how things are going, but he believes that if he continues to focus on his job, everything will work out. He isn't reading into the fact that O'Connell's deal was done two months ago and he continues to wait.
"If you've been in my office, I have a bunch of quotes I kind of live by," he said. "'Happiness is good health and a poor memory.' I was a middle child. I feel like you don't find happiness in life by looking at what other people have and comparing it to yourself. Every situation is different. I know the Wilfs value the things I bring to this organization, I know I love it here."
While he declined to provide any concrete update on the negotiations, Adofo-Mensah seemed confident that a new deal will get done at some point. Until then, he's going to keep focusing on the day-to-day elements of his role and doing what's best for the Vikings' present and future. Recently, that meant a very busy couple weeks in free agency. Now attention has shifted towards next month's NFL draft.
"I plan to be the person that's here when we ultimately accomplish our goals, and that's what I'm working towards," he said.
The Vikings continue to have just two quarterbacks under contract. One is veteran Brett Rypien. The other is McCarthy, the tenth overall pick in last year's draft. The team will inevitably add another quarterback at some point — perhaps after the draft, so it doesn't factor into the compensatory pick formula — but all signs point to McCarthy stepping into the starting role in 2025 and beyond.
Because he injured his meniscus last August, McCarthy remains somewhat of an unknown. But ever since the time he was drafted last year, he's done everything the team hoped to see, even if he's mostly done it behind the scenes.
"I'm a trader by nature, so I think at the end of the day, all you can do is look at the information you're given at the time you've been given it," Adofo-Mensah said. "I would tell you that at this exact moment, he's passed every test with flying colors. I get that this is a sport and this is a position where people want to see it first, but you don't always get that opportunity. You have to go on what you know, and I know we're betting on his preparation, the person, the talent. It's shown in every single instance that we've had it, so I'm going to be comfortable with that."
The Vikings loved what they saw out of McCarthy last year before he got hurt. If he's healthy throughout this offseason and continues to validate their belief in him, it's hard to see why he won't be their starting quarterback when they take the field in Week 1 this September.
"We're excited about where he is in that development, we'll keep learning the information we get as it comes, and we'll make the decision when it's time," Adofo-Mensah said.
Live: GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah https://t.co/b0I1ZkLDsV
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) March 26, 2025