As Free Agency’s Uncertainty Awaits, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah Offers a Critical Certainty

Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has proven to be a strong negotiator. In fact, it’s one of the defining realities of his time as the Vikings’ GM.

Consider, for instance, just a pair of decisions from last offseason: allowing quarterback Kirk Cousins and edge rusher Danielle Hunter to depart. Bold moves, no doubt, and yet ones that ended up working out well for the Vikings. What does this tell us about how Adofo-Mensah is going to work through the upcoming challenges and chaos from the 2025 free agency period?

Kwesi Adofo-Mensah & The Certainty about the GM

Kick things back a bit and consider what Adofo-Mensah has said about negotiating.

Critically, the GM understands the power of saying “no.” He’ll have a firm ceiling in his mind for how high is too high and then be ready to pivot if a player soars past that ceiling. In his own words: “Your leverage in a negotiation is your willingness to do something else. So I gotta say, ‘I will not do this because I would rather do these three other things and make our team better.’ It’s gotta mean something.”

Basically, Adofo-Mensah is coming back to an idea he has discussed often: the benefit of having options. Very seldom, if ever at all, does he feel backed into a corner, forced to make a decision he doesn’t believe in making.

Consider, as well, some other examples.

The negotiations for tight end T.J. Hockenson and wide receiver Justin Jefferson weren’t efficient. Both players are vital for what the Vikings want to accomplish in the present and in the future since each are building blocks for the Kevin O’Connell offense. Critically, Adofo-Mensah was willing to use the time available to him to grind things out, eventually arriving at a middle ground that all parties could accept.

Minnesota’s roster has needs. Corners — multiple — need to be added. A difference maker for the o-line and d-line would be extremely helpful. Help at running back and safety looks important, too, and some would insist that an upgrade at WR3 would be prudent.

Kwesi Adofo-Mensah understands his roster better than anyone. He knows about these issues and he knows about the potential solutions that exist in Minnesota and around the NFL.

The critical issue to remember is that Adofo-Mensah isn’t easily moved off of his spot. Even if the decision ends up being controversial, Adofo-Mensah will stick to his guns. He has strong, clear convictions and a great understanding of how to navigate an NFL budget.

Sitting on close to $63 million in cap space — at least prior to factoring in the recently-signed Theo Jackson — Adofo-Mensah’s Vikings will be able to get their elbows up to box out other teams when going up for a coveted player. Don’t expect the GM to take leave of his senses, though, by pushing the dollars to a point that violate his firmly-held convictions about what’s in the best interest of the team.

Editor’s Note: Information from Over the Cap helped with this piece.

K. Joudry is the Senior Editor for Vikings Territory and PurplePTSD. He has been covering the Vikings full time since the summer of 2021. He can be found on social media (Bluesky & Twitter). If you feel so inclined, subscribe to his Substack, The Vikings Gazette, for more great Vikings content.