'It was meant to be': Vikings introduce Kwesi Adofo-Mensah as GM

MINNEAPOLIS - A new era for the Minnesota Vikings began Thursday morning as Kwesi Adofo-Mensah was introduced as the team’s new general manager.

The Vikings’ ownership group fired Rick Spielman and Mike Zimmer on Jan. 10, after an 8-9 season and missing the NFC Playoffs for the third time in four seasons. Players talked after the season about how they felt disconnected from the front office. Deion Sanders, a close friend of Zimmer, told a radio show Zimmer and Spielman didn’t speak for several months during the season.

It was time for a change in an organization that annually has Super Bowl aspirations. The Vikings conducted eight initial interviews for the GM position. Adofo-Mensah, the Vice President of Football Operations with the Cleveland Browns the last two seasons, was considered one of two finalists for the new head of the front office. He arrived to the Twin Cities on Tuesday for an in-person interview, and the Vikings made his hiring official Wednesday night. He’s coming to Minnesota on a four-year deal, reportedly worth $12 million.

Adofo-Mensah spoke with reporters for more than 30 minutes Thursday morning at TCO Performance Center in Eagan. It was after his initial interview over Zoom with the management team that he felt he was the perfect fit for Minnesota. In his Cleveland home, he came down the stairs and fiancée saw him skipping. She then went online and bought a vintage Vikings’ hat on Etsy that she wore at Thursday’s news conference.

He couldn’t turn down the chance to call Minnesota his home, inherit the Vikings’ talented roster, work at TCO Performance Center and see the fruits of his labor come to life at U.S. Bank Stadium.

"From the moment I jumped on the interview it was just an immediate fit. It just felt right. I think she knew before I did that I’d be here," Adofo-Mensah said. "I really do believe that I was meant to be your general manager. I think it was just meant to be."

Mark Wilf said after dismissing Spielman and Zimmer that the ownership wanted a strong leader, communicator and collaborator in the next general manager. Everyone they talked to around the NFL had glowing things to say about Adofo-Mensah.

"He immediately stood out to us in his interviews because of his vision for long-term success and his comprehensive information gathering, and intentional decision-making processes. He’s a tremendous leader who believes in connecting people, building consensus and having strong communication throughout the organization," Wilf said. "All the traits that we spoke about when we began looking for new leadership a few weeks ago."

Adofo-Mensah, 40, isn’t your typical hire for the head of a football front office. His analytic, collaborative and information-based approach might be just what the Vikings need. He earned an undergraduate degree in economics from Princeton, a master’s degree from Stanford and was heading to be an economics professor before heading to Wall Street. He worked for eight years as an associate portfolio manager at Taylor Woods Capital, and at Credit Suisse as a commodities’ trader.

It was his daily job to make decisions and projections on money, and every day was a gamble. Much like how many NFL roster decisions have implications, good and bad.

"I know my background is unique but when you think about this job, the job is about making decisions, building a consensus in the building, combining different sources of information into one answer and having everybody behind it," Adofo-Mensah said. "Along those lines, I don’t think there’s many people more qualified than I am."

Adofo-Mensah is more than aware of the opportunity in front of him. He thanked the Browns, and San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch and coach Kyle Shanahan for the opportunities they gave him. He thanked his family, calling his mother a "superhero" and talked about a voicemail from his late father telling him how proud he is of his son, something Adofo-Mensah listens to when he needs a lift or motivation. 

In 2013, he started with the 49ers in football research and development. The last two years, he’s been the Vice President of Football Operations for the Browns.

His immediate duty as the head of the front office involves finding the next head coach. Zimmer went 71-56-2 in eight seasons, but won just two playoff games and missed the postseason five times. That has to change. Adofo-Mensah said he’s already been involved in initial discussions about the next head coach, but didn’t offer much more detail.

Two potential candidates that both interviewed with the Vikings came off the board Thursday morning. Green Bay Packers’ offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett is taking the Denver Broncos’ job, and Dan Quinn is reportedly staying in Dallas as defensive coordinator.

Adofo-Mensah has been linked with DeMeco Ryans, Mike McDaniel and even Jim Harbaugh. The Vikings have held initial interviews with Ryans, Kellen Moore, Kevin O’Connell, Raheem Morris, Todd Bowles and Jonathan Gannon.

"We know what we want to find. We want leadership, we want somebody who is going to value the collective over the individual," Adofo-Mensah said. "We’re going to dive into this head coaching search and bring a partner for me and this organization that’s going to lead us where we want to go."

One of Adofo-Mensah’s other top priorities is contacting current players on the roster. He said that process begins immediately after his opening news conference, and includes talking with the team’s leadership council.

He wants to learn the Vikings’ culture as soon as possible, and find out what needs to be changed. Immediately after the season, linebacker Eric Kendricks hinted at a "fear-based organization" led by Zimmer. Brian O’Neill implied there wasn’t much talk between players and coaches outside of meetings and practice.

That won’t be happening under the new leadership.

"I want a place where everybody feels supported and validated enough to speak their mind, give their opinion. We’re going to be open-minded, constructive with our dialogue and discussion here," Adofo-Mensah said.

He has roster decisions to make, most notably that of quarterback Kirk Cousins, who is due to make $45 million in 2022. The Vikings also have as many as 18 free agents this offseason. We don’t know what the 2022 roster will look like, but we do know Adofo-Mensah will make every decision with intent, thought, data and collaboration.

He also has new competitor within the NFC North, as the Bears hired Ryan Poles to be their new GM. Poles was scheduled to interview in-person with the Vikings the day Adofo-Mensah was hired. Is it a rivalry renewed?

"If you know me, there’s no extra need for competition. That’s how I’m wired. Our job here is to win divisions, make the playoffs and pursue championships," Adofo-Mensah said.

Adofo-Mensah said all the right things on Thursday. If you can win a press conference, he did. 

Ultimately it’s football, and Adofo-Mensah will be judged on if his approach to putting a coaching staff and roster together results in wins or losses. It will all be done with communication, collaboration and strong leadership.

"No stone unturned, that’s the standard. That’s what we’ll live by with the Vikings," Adofo-Mensah said.