After the 2026 season, the Minnesota Vikings will be facing a very difficult decision regarding one of Kwesi Adofo-Mensah's best NFL Draft picks.
One of the reasons that former Minnesota Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah was fired was due to not having enough success in the NFL Draft. Despite having a lot of success in the first round, there wasn't enough depth in his classes, especially on day two.
Of his day three success stories, the best one is arguably kicker Will Reichard . After having a good first season as a rookie in 2024, Reichard has been one of the best players on the Vikings. In 2025, Reichard became the third Vikings draft pick at kicker to earn All-Pro honors since 2012, joining Blair Walsh and Daniel Carlson .
Monday brought the latest extension for a kicker, with the Pittsburgh Steelers giving Chris Boswell a four-year deal worth $28 million. He is now tied for the highest-paid kicker in the NFL with Brandon Aubrey of the Dallas Cowboys .
Paying kickers big money hasn't always been fruitful for NFL teams. All it takes is a small slump for teams to end up cutting them. That's what happened with the Vikings and Walsh after he struggled post-wild card miss against the Seattle Seahawks .
Even so, keeping Reichard around is going to be a priority. He only missed two kicks in 2025, and both of them allegedly hit the skycam cable. Outside of those misses, Reichard hit all 33 field goals and 31 extra points. He was very consistent, including 11 kicks made over 50+ yards.
There are a lot of questions for the Vikings moving forward when it comes to the long-term health of the roster. It's one reason why the Vikings traded Jonathan Greenard during the NFL Draft. With his departure, the future of Reichard, along with the likes of Brian O'Neill and Jordan Addison , are much more likely.
What will it end up costing the Vikings? If he has another All-Pro caliber season, that could land him a deal of $8 million per season.
