You’ll Miss One Big Thing about Kwesi Adofo-Mensah

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You’ll Miss One Big Thing about Kwesi Adofo-Mensah

You'll Miss One Big Thing about Kwesi Adofo-Mensah — Minnesota Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah watches from the sideline during the NFL International Series matchup on Sep. 28, 2025, at Croke Park in Dublin, Ireland, monitoring player performance and roster depth as Minnesota competes abroad while balancing executive evaluation duties in a rare overseas regular-season setting. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images.

Dustin Baker · Vikings Territory

Sun, Feb 22, 2026 ·

5 min read

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The Minnesota Vikings fired general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah on Friday, January 30th, three and a half weeks after the regular season ended and about five days after Sam Darnold's Seattle Seahawks won the NFC Championship.

Most believe Adofo-Mensah lost his job due to continuous poor drafting habits and the decision to let Darnold slip away, who won a Super Bowl two weeks ago. Fans will miss one thing about Adofo-Mensah, though — and that may not even realize it yet. The man loved to trade, and the Vikings' trading frequency figures to plummet.

If Minnesota feels quieter this spring, it may be intentional from the top of the front office.

Life goes on, but the offseason probably won't be as busy with Adofo-Mensah unemployed.

Minnesota's Trade Volume May Be Headed Down

The fascination with "trading just to trade" is likely kaput.

Kwesi Adofo-Mensah speaks to media during the NFL Scouting Combine. Kwesi Adofo-Mensah Vikings trading. — Minnesota Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah addresses reporters while outlining offseason priorities and roster-building philosophy during media availability at the league's annual scouting event. On Feb 25, 2025, Adofo-Mensah spoke at the NFL Scouting Combine inside the Indiana Convention Center, offering insight into Minnesota's evaluation process ahead of free agency and the upcoming draft period. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images.

Kwesi Loved to Trade; Kwesi No Longer Works for the Vikings

While his trades often didn't work out swimmingly — Adofo-Mensah offloaded Harrison Phillips and Mehki Blackmon last summer for peanuts while grabbing elderly Adam Thielen in a deal centered around a 4th-Round pick — Adofo-Mensah was always busy. Working the phones became part of his on-screen persona, and there was never a dull moment for fans.

He also wasn't afraid to shoot for the stars, trading for players early in his tenure who possessed high-round draft capital upside in Jalen Reagor and Ross Blacklock.

If you enjoyed the allure of Adofo-Mensah habitually seeking trades, you're going to experience a downturn. Unless Kevin O'Connell, Brian Flores, and Rob Brzezinski share the same trade ardor, Minnesota's operation risks becoming "boring" regarding trades.

That doesn't have to be a bad thing, but you should expect a sharp decline in trades. The sheer volume.

The 'Value' Philosophy

Before last year's draft, Adofo-Mensah spoke at length about his philosophy.

"A lot of times, it's impact and that impact can be one great player or multiple good players, also realizing that it's uncertain and you don't know necessarily for sure that the one player is going to be good and all those different dynamics so, that's really the conversation you have," he told reporters in April 2025.

"Right now, at this point in the draft, we try and make sure our board is correct in terms of how we view things. You've got to prepare yourself. You're picking 24th you better be able to call 24 and have 24 names that you're willing to stand up and clap and feel great about. So that's the first and foremost in the foundation of how we build this thing. The trades and all those things, scenarios, they come."

Adofo-Mensah basically wanted to accrue the top talent at the most reasonable cost — in his estimation.

Kevin O'Connell and Kwesi Adofo-Mensah stand together during an offseason discussion. — Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell stands beside general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah during a relaxed offseason moment while the pair discusses roster plans and organizational direction. In spring 2025, O'Connell appeared with a mustache in a playful nod toward Adofo-Mensah, reflecting the occasional humor shared between leadership figures during extended planning sessions. Mandatory Credit: YouTube.

He added, "Moving over to the charts and different evaluations, it's a difficult exercise. It's something that I've been fascinated by. I built the chart myself, I've seen other different charts, and they all take different assumptions or quite frankly, this is a hard exercise."

"How do you value a great player in a great position? You could assign a number to it, right? When you assign that number to it, does that incorporate the scarcity of that type of player? If you don't get that player in the draft, you can't typically get that player in for agency so, how do you put a number on that aspect of it? It's in different people or different ways of doing that."

It's unclear who Minnesota might hire as the next full-time general manager , but that person may have a "shoot from the hip" style compared to Adofo-Mensah.

The Draft Always Busy

Adofo-Mensah moved all over the board on draft weekend. Sometimes, it actually felt strange when he didn't trade out of his organic spot, wheeling and dealing to bank more picks and throws at the dartboard.

Heading into the 2024 NFL Draft , there was a point on the calendar when the Vikings held zero of their original picks; all had been traded in one way or another.

Much like trading in the spring or summer, the draft might feel mundane per movement around the board.

A Return to Normalcy

Adofo-Mensah's predecessor, Rick Spielman , also traded quite fiendishly, establishing a reputation late in his tenure for stockpiling late-round draft picks — that usually amounted to nothing. Indeed, Minnesota has employed back-to-back general managers who enjoy the art of the deal.

Rick Spielman appears on a CBS Sports set during the NFL Scouting Combine. — Former Minnesota Vikings general manager Rick Spielman appears on a broadcast set while discussing league developments and roster strategy during combine week coverage. On Feb 28, 2024, Spielman joined CBS Sports programming at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, sharing perspective drawn from his long tenure running Minnesota's front office and evaluating prospects during the annual scouting showcase. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports.

The next guy, whether it's Brzezinski on a full-time contract or a general manager to be named later, will probably be "normal." Vikings fans have grown accustomed to a flurry of trades in the offseason , spanning March to early November.

Those days may be kaput.

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