The Minnesota Vikings fired basic supervisor Kwesi Adofo-Mensah on Friday after 4 years on the helm, and simply eight months after signing him to a contract extension final offseason.
“Following our annual end-of-season organizational conferences during the last a number of weeks and after cautious consideration, we have now determined it’s in the very best curiosity of the staff to maneuver ahead with new management of our soccer operations,” co-owners Mark and Zygi Wilf stated in a press release. “These selections are by no means simple. We’re grateful for Kwesi’s contributions and dedication to the group over the previous 4 years and need him and his household the very best sooner or later.”
J.J. McCarthy’s future as Vikings QB is much from assured after Minnesota fires GM who picked him
Tyler Sullivan
The Vikings stated the firing wasn’t about anybody determination Adofo-Mensah made, however taking a look at his tenure cumulatively. Once you take that cumulative look, although, it is onerous to not begin with the Vikings’ failures within the NFL Draft. It is value strolling by way of the draft historical past yr by yr, as a result of it is fairly ugly — and that ugliness has to have performed a task in Adofo-Mensah’s dropping his job.
Early in his tenure, Adofo-Mensah appeared to worth decide quantity above all else. He even made what many seen as a negative-value commerce together with his first-ever draft decide, sending the No. 12 general choice to the division rival Detroit Lions, together with the No. 46 decide, in trade for Nos. 32, 34 and 66.
He then traded 34 for 53 and 59, then traded 53, together with 77 and 192, for 42 and 122, then traded 122 for 126 and 227, then traded 126 for 165 and 169) In the long run, he turned Nos. 12, 46, 77 and 192 into Nos. 32, 42, 59, 66, 165, 169 and 227, netting Cine, Sales space, Ingram, Asamoah, Otomewo, Chandler and Muse — none of whom grew to become long-term contributors for the Vikings.
Ingram was in all probability probably the most integral of the bunch, and he was ultimately traded for only a sixth-round decide final offseason. The Lions, in the meantime, obtained Jameson Williams (and Josh Paschal) out of the deal.
Addison has been a success for the Vikings when he is been on the sector, working as a really robust complement to Justin Jefferson and even posting almost an identical numbers to Jefferson down the stretch of the 2024 season, however he is additionally had points off the sector, together with a suspension for violating the NFL’s substance abuse coverage and a benching for violation of staff guidelines this previous season.
The Vikings traded their 2023 second-round decide, together with a 2024 third-rounder, to the Lions for T.J. Hockenson and a 2024 fourth-round decide. Hockenson excelled for his first season and a half in Minnesota and signed an enormous new deal, however hasn’t been the identical since struggling a knee damage and slumped to profession lows throughout the board this previous yr, in the course of what needs to be his prime.
And actually, Addison and Hockenson was all of the Vikes obtained out of the 2023 draft. Ordinarily that may be a fairly rattling good haul, however once you mix it with whiffing nearly totally on the earlier class, it is not that nice.
Minnesota traded up twice within the first spherical of the 2024 draft, transferring from No. 11 general as much as No. 10 by together with Nos. 129 and 157 to slip up for McCarthy and land the No. 203 decide, which the Vikings then used on Reichard. The Vikes then despatched their second 2024 first-rounder (which they’d acquired for second- and sixth-round picks in 2024, plus their 2025 second-rounder), plus a fifth-rounder in 2024 and third- and fourth-round picks in 2025, to Jacksonville to maneuver up and take Turner at No. 17 general.
This continued the development of not valuing picks as extremely as they did in Adofo-Mensah’s first draft. It is one factor to surrender draft capital to maneuver up in your presumed quarterback of the longer term, however one other to do it and miss as badly because the seemingly Vikings did whereas additionally permitting Sam Darnold to go away in free company and lead his subsequent staff to the Tremendous Bowl. That sequence of occasions, greater than anything, is probably going what led to Adofo-Mensah’s final demise.
The Vikes despatched their second- and fourth-round picks within the offers talked about above, which left them with solely a scant few picks on this draft. Solely Jackson was a contributor throughout his rookie season, which in all probability is not stunning contemplating the place the opposite gamers have been chosen.
Once you have a look at simply the top-100 picks, that are alleged to be the key contributors for groups, Adofo-Mensah landed Cine, Sales space, Ingram, Asamoah, Addison, McCarthy, Turner and Jackson. What number of of these gamers have been hits? Addison is a particular hit. Turner had 8 sacks throughout his second NFL season however wasn’t a lot of a contributor in 12 months 1. We in all probability nonetheless must see him stick with it for at the very least one other yr earlier than declaring him a success. Jackson was a starter at guard throughout his first season and has an opportunity to turn into a pleasant participant.
However that is simply eight high 100 picks in 4 drafts (you’d ordinarily have 12 however the Vikes had fewer than that because of Adofo-Mensah’s varied trades) and solely one in every of them is a definitive hit. That is merely not adequate. And Minnesota did not actually hit on any late-round picks to mitigate the harm. Of the 20 picks the Vikings made outdoors the highest 100, what number of of them became contributors, not to mention hits? Not that many.
You merely cannot have a four-year draft run like this and anticipate to return out on the opposite aspect along with your job — at the very least not until you do numerous work in free company or trades to beat it. And the Vikings actually did not do this. In truth, their greatest free company determination was possible the one which drove the ultimate nail into the coffin that was constructed by way of their draft failures.
