Tag: Adofo-Mensah

Feb 25, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Minnesota Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah speaks during the NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah signs extension

Posted on | by Field Level Media

The Minnesota Vikings announced a multiyear contract extension for general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah on Friday.

The Vikings are 34-17 with two postseason appearances since Adofo-Mensah and head coach Kevin O’Connell arrived ahead of the 2022 season.

“Kwesi’s leadership, vision and collaboration with our coaching staff has positioned the Minnesota Vikings for sustained success,” Vikings co-owner and president Mark Wilf said. “His dedication and forward-thinking approach have been instrumental in shaping our roster and future, and we are confident that under the guidance of him and Kevin O’Connell, we will continue to compete at the highest level as we pursue a championship for Vikings fans.”

Minnesota went 14-3 in 2024, its best finish since a 15-1 campaign in 1998.

“This organization means so much to me, and I’ve always believed in what we’re building here. From the ownership to the incredible staff, there’s a true commitment to creating a winning culture with the goal of competing year in and year out,” Adofo-Mensah said. “I’m thankful for the trust the Wilf family has placed in me, and I’m thrilled to continue leading our football operation alongside Coach O’Connell. Minnesota has welcomed my family with open arms, and we embrace the sacrifices that come with chasing the ultimate prize, knowing what it will mean to the best fan base and this great state.

“While we’ve made significant strides already, our focus will remain on building a team positioned as a perennial contender,” he added. “This extension signifies we are on solid ground with the long-term vision we have set, and I’m incredibly excited to work with this group of talented people as we continue to push the boundaries of what this franchise can achieve.”

Minnesota’s .667 winning percentage over the past three seasons ranks third in the NFC behind the Philadelphia Eagles (.784) and Detroit Lions (.706).

Adofo-Mensah, 43, worked in the front offices of the San Francisco 49ers (2013-19) and Cleveland Browns (2020-21) before joining the Vikings.

–Field Level Media

Aug 10, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy (9) under center against the Las Vegas Raiders in the third quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-Imagn Images

Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy to ‘hit the ground running’ in offseason workouts

Posted on | by Field Level Media

After missing his rookie season due to a torn meniscus in his right knee, Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy is all systems go for offseason workouts this month, according to his coach.

Kevin O’Connell told reporters Monday that McCarthy has no restrictions this spring. He said McCarthy is at an advantage from having learned the Vikings’ systems “in a classroom setting” up to this point.

“That’s the beauty of the year we’ve had with him, albeit without the physical reps since the injury,” O’Connell said. “But there’s been a lot of time on task and just once again want to credit J.J. for how he’s handled these last two, 2 1/2, three months or so where I think he’s ready to hit the ground running as of today.”

Now that McCarthy is healthy and without limitations, the next step is to enter the more competitive environment of OTAs and minicamp, with live reps aplenty.

“All of it is going to kind of be systematically planned out for him,” O’Connell said, “and I think he’s ready to attack it.”

The Vikings moved on from 2024 starting quarterback Sam Darnold, who signed with the Seattle Seahawks in free agency after a surprise season in Minnesota.

The only other quarterback besides the 22-year-old McCarthy on the roster is Brett Rypien, and although the Vikings had talks with Aaron Rodgers, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah told reporters in late March that the team is “headed toward” dubbing McCarthy QB1.

That doesn’t mean Minnesota won’t add at least one more quarterback this offseason.

“We’ve been patient and really evaluated a lot of different ways we could potentially do that,” O’Connell said. “There’s potential trades and free agency and still the draft. We’re going through a process of just figuring out who is the player that we want to solidify that room with knowing that J.J. and Brett are here working, starting today, and eventually we’ll complete that room and still have a competitive situation in there, however you look at it.”

The Vikings drafted McCarthy 10th overall in the 2024 draft after he won a national championship at Michigan. He underwent surgery for a torn meniscus in mid-August after paying in the Vikings’ preseason opener.

–Field Level Media

Jan 7, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson (18) looks at the big screen during second half of the game against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: David Reginek-USA TODAY Sports

Vikings won’t trade Justin Jefferson; new deal was ‘close’ last year

Posted on | by Field Level Media

INDIANAPOLIS — Minnesota Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has no interest in trading star wide receiver Justin Jefferson.

“That is not something that once crossed my mind,” Adofo-Mensah told reporters at the NFL Scouting Combine on Tuesday. “You’ve got a blue(-chip) player, a blue(-chip) person. You try and keep as many of those as you can.”

Jefferson, the NFL Offensive Player of the Year two seasons ago, had his 2023 season interrupted by a hamstring injury but still finished with 68 receptions for 1,074 yards and five touchdowns. He’s entering the fifth and final year of his rookie contract.

Adofo-Mensah told reporters the Vikings got “unbelievably close” to an extension agreement with Jefferson last spring, but that those deals don’t tend to get done after a player’s third year because of the uncertainty on both ends.

According to the GM, the Vikings believe Jefferson should be among the highest-paid players in the league.

“We’ve said it, and we continue to say, we think he’s the best receiver in the league and should be compensated as such,” Adofo-Mensah said. “We think he’s one of the best non-quarterbacks in the league, and should be compensated as such. So we’ll continue to have those dialogues and those conversations.

“I promised (Jefferson and his camp), and I will continue to promise them, I will not talk about our negotiations. I think the job should be done with integrity. So a lot of stuff that I hear is completely false, but I can’t get up here and tell you what’s not true or not false, because that’s not that’s not how I promised them I would operate.”

The “completely false” stuff, as it turns out, includes considering a trade.

“We’re excited to have him and continue those conversations because he’s somebody we want around for a long time,” Adofo-Mensah said.

Among the question marks involved in Jefferson’s decision is who will be throwing him the ball long-term. Kirk Cousins, who will turn 36 before the start of the new season, will have his contract void March 13 unless the Vikings reach an extension with him.

Complicating matters, Cousins ruptured his right Achilles in late October and is in the middle of rehabbing the first major injury of his NFL career. He posted a video to social media Monday showing him backpedaling and throwing on an indoor tennis court.

“You know Kirk, obviously again, another person we’ve had these dialogues the past couple of seasons, had a great conversation with him a few days ago,” Adofo-Mensah said. “Same thing, though, with the other day. It’s, we have our interests. He has his. We’ll get to the table to see if we can figure out a creative solution and kind of meet in the middle. That’s what every contract negotiation is. And that’s what it’ll be with him.”

The GM said Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell has talked with Jefferson about the team’s quarterback situation.

“I think any great player, especially a wide receiver should want to have a great quarterback, who’s accurate and is gonna throw him the football when he’s open,” Adofo-Mensah said. “And he gets open better than anybody else in the league. So that is something that’s important.

“… I think you got to treat players like partners, you got to bring them in and have those conversations with them. And that’s something we’ll do with Justin.”

–Field Level Media

Feb 9, 2023; Phoenix, Arizona, US; Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson poses for a photo after receiving the award for AP Offensive Player during the NFL Honors award show at Symphony Hall. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Vikings GM: Justin Jefferson extension a ‘high priority’

Posted on | by Field Level Media

A contract extension for All-Pro wideout Justin Jefferson is a “high priority” for the Vikings this offseason, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah confirmed Tuesday.

“I don’t want to be the Vikings’ GM without that guy on our team,” Adofo-Mensah told reporters at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. “So it’s a high priority. We’ve got to make sure we do it in the order that we can do it in, obviously, given all of our other decisions we have to make.”

Jefferson, 23, is in line for a monster payday after catching 324 passes for 4,825 yards and 25 touchdowns across 50 games in the first three seasons of his rookie contract.

NFL Network reported the sides discussed a deal worth up to $90 million over three seasons.

Jefferson made his third straight Pro Bowl and was a unanimous First Team All-Pro selection in 2022 after leading the NFL with 128 receptions and 1,809 yards to go along with eight touchdowns in 17 starts. He was named the NFL Offensive Player of the Year.

A first-round pick (22nd overall) out of LSU in 2020, Jefferson has consistently downplayed the possibility of a huge contract extension.

“That’s not my decision. It is what it is,” he said in January when asked if he deserved to be the NFL’s highest-paid receiver. “They pay me whatever they pay me. They don’t even really have to give me an extension this year. It is what it is. It’s not really something that I’m really worried about.”

Adofo-Mensah has more of a sense of urgency to get a long-term deal done with his young superstar.

“He’s trying to put the Minnesota Vikings on his back,” Adofo-Mensah said. “He wants to win a championship. When you have people like that in your building, you try everything you can not to let them out.”

Jefferson stands to earn a $2.4 million base salary in 2023 in the final season of his four-year, $13.1 million rookie deal.

–Field Level Media