When the Minnesota Vikings hired Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, it was a big gamble by the team’s ownership. They had just said goodbye to the successful but explosive partnership between Mike Zimmer and Rick Spielman and weren’t interested in a long-term rebuild.
While some reporting had suggested that Ryan Poles was their first choice for the job, they had to pivot when he chose the Chicago Bears. As a former Wall Street trader, it felt like Vikings fans and ownership broke down every move with an extra layer of thought clouded by “competitive rebuilds” and an uncertain future.
As it turned out, the Wilfs’ bet on Adofo-Mensah panned out, leading to a highly anticipated contract extension announced on Friday morning.
The path to getting here was interesting, though. Adofo-Mensah inherited a roster with the bones of the 2017 NFC Championship team, but it was coming toward the end. While Chicago allowed Poles to rip everything to the studs, Adofo-Mensah was careful not to decimate the foundation, which included star receiver Justin Jefferson and cornerstone tackles Christian Darrisaw and Brian O’Neill.
The first stage didn’t have major cosmetic changes. Still, Adofo-Mensah worked just like Kevin O’Connell; he won in the margins. T.J. Hockenson’s arrival at the 2022 trade deadline was his big move, and Adofo-Mensah kept the roster together as he went to work to build a contender.
The Vikings won 13 games and a division title, earning Adofo-Mensah trust to carry out his master plan. Adam Thielen, Dalvin Cook, and Eric Kendricks were the first to go, and the front office slowly chipped away, like a carpenter at the rotting exterior of a house.
The 2023 season was challenging and presumably put everyone on thin ice. While Adofo-Mensah and O’Connell had a solid first season, the second one gave everyone second thoughts, which triggered a year of speculation.
First was Jefferson’s contract extension, which spurned plenty of TikTok and social media speculation until he signed on the dotted line. Then it was the search for a franchise quarterback. They let Kirk Cousins, their security blanket, walk out the door and embraced former bust Sam Darnold. Even drafting J.J. McCarthy wasn’t enough for the Wilfs to commit beyond the 2025 season, leaving Adofo-Mensah and O’Connell to do the talking on the field.
The Vikings responded with a 14-win season and an outside chance at having home-field advantage in the NFC playoffs. Darnold thrived in the first positive environment since he was throwing darts at USC. Minnesota felt like a place everyone wanted to be for the first time since the Vikings came off an NFC Championship Game appearance in 2018.
Minnesota quickly neutralized speculation about O’Connell’s contract with a contract extension last February. Adofo-Mensah’s future was the final piece to fall into place, but he didn’t seem worried as he brought in Ryan Kelly, Will Fries, Jonathan Allen, Javon Hargrave, and others during free agency.
It was a culture so strong that Aaron Rodgers wanted to be a part of it, and the Vikings had to turn him down. While O’Connell deserved some of the credit, Adofo-Mensah chose him over Jim Harbaugh and turned the Vikings into an NFC juggernaut heading into 2024.
The evidence was on the field this week. The Vikings had perfect attendance during the first wave of voluntary OTA workouts, and the team appeared to be fully bought in. McCarthy was throwing lasers on social media while Hockenson and Jalen Nailor took advantage of “The Best Shape of His Life” season.
The Vikings are anticipated to make another run at an NFC North title in 2024. They are starting to assemble a new wave of talent, headlined by McCarthy, Jordan Addison, Dallas Turner, Josh Metellus, and Byron Murphy Jr. Of that group, Metellus was the only player held over from the previous regime. Harrison Smith is still kicking around, even as he enters his age-36 season.
Compare it to what happened to Chicago, and you’ll see Adofo-Mensah’s value. While Poles is on his second head coach, he’s just as busy trying to control Caleb Williams’ body language and desire to play for the Vikings as he installs his scheme. The Bears have also had to overpay most free agents to come to Chicago, compiling a 15-26 record since Poles took over.
Poles burned it to the ground with a dumpster fire so big it could be seen from outer space. Meanwhile, Adofo-Mensah slowly simmered at the hometown cafe like he was cooking dinner on a weeknight. The result is a 34-17 record through three seasons and a chance to add to it in 2025.
It’s another sign the Wilfs made the right choice when they hired Adofo-Mensah in 2022 and more evidence that they’re making the wise choice to double down with Friday’s news.