Preserving a generational talent is always a wise decision. However, by letting go of its standout receiver, Minnesota has an opportunity to shift its focus to a long-term fix.
Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, the general manager of the Minnesota Vikings, was touted as a kind of missing piece in the football universe when he was plucked from the Cleveland Browns back in 2022. He was an analytically minded personnel executive who could also communicate with people whose only experience was with scheme and film.
Given how desperate the market is for credentials of that kind, that was high praise, and one would think that a runway like that would produce something truly unique. (In fact, some coaches have gone to extreme measures to locate football-loving individuals who can communicate effectively with other departments.
For example, I recently heard of a coach who spent twelve hours pretending to interview his database manager for a scouting position before disclosing that his true goal was to have him work in the IT department rather than scouting.)
Without a question, the Vikings were the ideal team for this type of general manager. Minnesota was forced into an endless, mediocre limbo, in contrast to many other NFL clubs whose rosters convey somewhat of a clear tale about their imminent capacity to contend (or not). A quarterback whose upside we can live with, but who doesn’t particularly excite us. A defense in dire need of radical change. An offensive line has the potential to one day back up a strong attack—additionally, Justin Jefferson.
Like the Giants, the Vikings have struggled to determine which direction to go due to Kevin O’Connell’s success as head coach. Away from Kirk Cousins and into some rough terrain before emerging victorious? Into Cousins, thinking that any changes to the roster would be temporary enough to justify a highly costly (and maybe entirely guaranteed) short-term deal? This team is simply enough well-coached to be successful forever. However, mediocre-plus is not a good enough result for most head coaches and executives, and at least a tiny minority of owners.
The main matter Minnesota will have to deal with during this week’s scouting combine is Jefferson’s impending, historically large contract, which will allow Adofo-Mensah to pull a type of ripcord on that choice and go headfirst in one direction or the other. While it’s unfair to evaluate a person based just on one instance in their career, it would be a mistake to deny that this was Adofo-defining moment Mensah’s as an executive and maybe his best opportunity to reach his full potential when he moved to Minnesota.
I contend that the GM may find great value in moving Justin Jefferson, particularly in light of Adofo-Mensah’s past. It could ultimately steer the Vikings onto a more rational course, which would highlight the sort of program Adofo-Mensah can create.
To be clear, this is not another piece that recycles the worn-out myth that teams without prominent wide receivers can never win the Super Bowl. Justin Jefferson is quite exceptional. He has an almost unmatchable mix of size and an “alpha” attitude that makes him win more contested receptions than any other receiver in the NFL, according to coaches in the league with whom I have talked. The fact that Adofo-Mensah possesses a generational skill puts him in a win-win situation. Suggesting that trading him would be foolish would also be a reasonable response.
However, it is worth taking into account if the fundamental, unadulterated basis of a Jefferson deal were a far more juicy version of the Khalil Mack or Jamal Adams trades. It would be foolish for the Vikings to ignore this offer given the kind of windfall that would be provided to a Minnesota team still in dire need of a long-term talent solution, especially if they can use the NFL draft window to clear out a team’s cache of first-round picks over the next three years—and avoid paying Justin Jefferson a nearly (or totally) guaranteed contract that will blow past the $30 million average annual value of the Tyreek Hill deal.
Adofo-Mensah is to blame for the problem’s current state. If Justin Jefferson hadn’t signed before the previous season began, it was certain that he would go closer to an expensive stratosphere. This is particularly true in light of the recent increase in the pay ceiling.
This is also true because the NFL’s top receiving corps isn’t always its most gifted players; rather, they’re the greatest group of players whose styles complement one another and who, by learning the system, can add variation to a scheme. To put it briefly, a club understands what it wants, picks several individuals that match that mold, and some of those players receive outstanding coaching or put in a lot of extra effort, which results in output.
How did the Los Angeles Rams discover Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp after the first round?
They searched for players who were physically fit and willing to participate in the blocking strategy, in addition to being able to run the Robert Woods route tree. Kupp and Nacua were then given a quick introduction to the team’s vast repertoire of formation alterations and moves by a coaching staff that held their hands. Nacua and Kupp both enjoy blocking. This aids in their ability to sell run fakes, which results in more rapid openings. There you have it, then.
Similar tales can be said about the Seattle Seahawks and the San Francisco 49ers, two more teams who we usually consider to have excellent receiver rooms but who did not have to make a significant upfront draft capital commitment. These teams have a smart concept, a recognized set of characteristics, and a head coach-general manager dynamic that facilitates the pipelining of those players. Not every team is capable of doing this or possesses the emotional or intellectual sophistication necessary to pull it off. In Minnesota, they do.
Why then are the Vikings unable to take that approach, with Jordan Addison serving as the foundation and the plethora of selections providing a healthy helping of mortar? O’Connell hails from the Rams’ chamber, where many of these concepts originated. Adofo-Mensah indeed speaks the language. Although they won’t find another Justin Jefferson in the draft, they might find a troika of players over two years with wise use of those picks who would eventually eclipse the production at a lower cost and still enable the Vikings to run a schematically diverse offense.
Once more, we won’t argue that retaining Justin Jefferson is impractical or indolent. It seems like smart business to keep one of the finest players we’ve ever seen at the position. But with the intelligence many feel the Vikings possess in both the head coaching position and the general manager’s office, does it provide the team its best chance of succeeding as a whole? It doesn’t.
Adofo-Mensah was a huge swing for just this kind of situation. It’s time to see what he can uncover while stumbling around Indianapolis’s shadowy bars with the best non-quarterback trade chip we’ve seen since the year 2000.
