Kwesi Adofo-Mensah - Minnesota Vikings
Credit: Photo courtesy of the Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are in the midst of one of the busiest offseasons in franchise history. And so far, that hard work has provided a lot of premature (predicted) success. They were able to ink many of their top free agent targets during the first week of the new league year, and have continued to add depth since.
Those signings have been deliberate too, directly addressing many of the most glaring weaknesses in all three phases of the Vikings’ roster. And at the forefront of everything (or so we think) has been general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah.
Kwesi says he’s been too busy to worry about it, but others aren’t, which is why there have been all sorts of questions surrounding why the 3rd year Minnesota Vikings GM remains a lame duck, now into April. This, going on two months since head coach Kevin O’Connell got his big money contract extension.
Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and Kevin O'Connell - Minnesota Vikings
Credit: Photo courtesy of the Minnesota Vikings
Should we be reading between the lines on these stalled Vikings + Adofo-Mensah contract talks? On Monday, owner and president Mark Wilf tried to answer those questions as bluntly as he could, reiterating what the organization told reporters back when KOC got his new deal. That Kwesi’s time was coming too.
New details from Kwesi Adofo-Mensah contract with Minnesota Vikings
But a new detail revealed in Kwesi’s current contract may help explain both sides’ lack of urgency to get something done. MN Vikings beat reporter Ben Goessling reported in the Star Tribune Monday night — before tweeting out something similar Tuesday afternoon — that the contract Adofo-Mensah signed back in the offseason of 2022 does not expire until after the 2026 NFL Draft.
One note on #Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah's contract: While coach contracts typically expire after the season, front office deals run through the NFL draft.
So Adofo-Mensah's deal doesn't actually expire until after the 2026 draft. Still optimism about it getting done this…
— Ben Goessling (@BenGoessling) April 1, 2025
…the duration of his contract gives the Vikings a little more time than they had with O’Connell’s deal. While coaches’ contracts generally expire after the season, GM deals run until after the draft, to provide front office stability through the busiest part of the offseason. According to a source with knowledge of the situation, Adofo-Mensah’s contract does not expire until after the 2026 NFL draft.
Ben Goessling – Star Tribune
That means, even without a contract extension, the Minnesota Vikings Kwesi Adofo-Mensah is employed for the most important parts of next offseason, including one more opening round of free agency (2026) and two more draft classes (2025 and 2026).
Whether now or later, Kwesi extension is coming
If you believe the Wilfs (and there’s really no reason not to), then no matter how you feel about Adofo-Mensah as a draft evaluator or trade negotiator, he isn’t going anywhere. This, despite there being major questions surrounding how much of Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s decision-making power has been diminished over the course of the past three years.
While both guys were brought in around the same time, their career trajectories over the last three years have been completely different. KOC is fresh off a Coach of the Year victory. He’s also already seen as a QB whisperer, among his football peers, and possibly the brightest young offensive mind in the entire sport.
Related: O’Connell Hints at Major Changes to Minnesota Vikings Offense in 2025
Just the thought of Kevin O’Connell being available at the end of next season forced the Wilfs to make his contract extension first priority this offseason. Steam surrounding KOC’s possible availability back in February got so hot that teams were floating trade ideas to legitimate NFL insiders.
We still don’t know how much Kevin O’Connell is making now, but it’s believed to be over $10 million per year, which puts him top 5 or 10 in the league — AKA: “everybody wishes they had our head coach-type money. I can’t imagine the talks with Kwesi are anywhere near the same ballpark.
Mentioned in this article: contract negotiations Kwesi Adofo-Mensah More About:Minnesota Vikings