The Minnesota Vikings believe in the vision general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has for the organization's future. The team reportedly handed Adofo-Mensah a multiyear contract extension Friday after the team made the playoffs in two of his three seasons at the helm, according to multiple reports.
With the move, both Adofo-Mensah and head coach Kevin O'Connell are under contract with the team for the foreseeable future. Both men were brought in ahead of the 2022 NFL season and have experienced plenty of success together.
The Vikings went 13-4 under Adofo-Mensah and O'Connell in 2022, earning the No. 3 seed in the NFC. Despite the team's success, it didn't make it out of the wild-card round, losing to the No. 6 seed New York Giants.
The team regressed in 2023 after quarterback Kirk Cousins tore his Achilles eight games into the season. Cousins was putting up phenomenal numbers prior to the injury, and had the Vikings looking dangerous after the team started 0-3. Minnesota couldn't overcome Cousins' injury, losing six of its last seven games and finishing the season 7-10.
Following Cousins' departure, Adofo-Mensah was tasked with finding the Vikings a new quarterback. He drafted Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy in the 2024 NFL Draft and signed Sam Darnold to a one-year deal.
McCarthy's season got off to a rough start, as he sustained a season-ending knee injury in training camp. With McCarthy down, Darnold stepped up and delivered a career-best season, leading the Vikings to a 14-3 record and another playoff appearance. Once again, the team failed to go deep in the postseason, losing in the wild-card round.
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After a successful season, Darnold left to sign a three-year, $100.5 million deal with the Seattle Seahawks. While the Vikings entertained the idea of bringing in veteran Aaron Rodgers, the team will entrust McCarthy with the starting role in 2025.
The move could make or break Adofo-Mensah's tenure with the Vikings. If McCarthy can deliver on the promise he showed at Michigan, the Vikings should remain a perennial contender. If McCarthy fails, Adofo-Mensah will be criticized for the draft pick, and for allowing Darnold to leave in free agency.
Despite that uncertainty, the team clearly believes Adofo-Mensah knows what he's doing. And on the off chance McCarthy fails to live up to expectations, Friday's extension shows confidence that Adofo-Mensah is resourceful enough to quickly right the ship if necessary.
