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MINNEAPOLIS - The Minnesota Vikings have found their next candidate to be in charge of the front office.
ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Wednesday morning that the Vikings reached an agreement to hire Kwesi Adofo-Mensah as the team's next general manager. The Vikings made the official announcement on his hiring shortly after 8 p.m. Wednesday.
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Minnesota Vikings hire new GM: Kwesi Adofo-Mensah lands job
The Minnesota Vikings have a new general manager. The team announced on Wednesday they will name Kwesi Adofo-Mensah to lead their front office.
Adofo-Mensah, 40, will replace Rick Spielman, who was fired on Jan. 10 along with Mike Zimmer after the team went 8-9 in 2021 and missed the NFC Playoffs for the third time in four seasons. Adofo-Mensah will take over the Vikings’ front office after spending the past two seasons as the Vice President of Football Operations for the Cleveland Browns. He started his NFL career in 2013 with the San Francisco 49ers and spent seven years there in football research and development before heading to Cleveland.
LIVE ON THURSDAY: The Vikings will introduce the team's new general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. FOX 9 will carry the news conference at 9.am. live on-air on FOX 9 and online at FOX9.com/live.
Vikings Owner and President Mark Wilf released a statement Wednesday night on bringing Adofo-Mensah to Minnesota.
"We are thrilled to welcome Kwesi to the Minnesota Vikings. His unique background, variety of strong football experiences, vision for success and leadership presence immediately stood out to us," Wilf said. "Kwesi is naturally committed and driven to building the best teams through consensus building and the pursuit of information. We believe he will immediately make us better as a team and organization."
Adofo-Mensah held an initial interview with the Vikings’ management team in the last 10 days, and he came to the Twin Cities on Tuesday for an in-person interview at TCO Performance Center in Eagan. The Vikings and Adofo-Mensah reportedly agreed to a deal Wednesday morning, worth about $12 million over four years.
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GM candidate Kwesi Adofo-Mensah spotted leaving Vikings facilities after interviews
Adofo-Mensah is in the Twin Cities on Tuesday to hold his second interview with the Vikings at TCO Performance Center.
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The Vikings had also scheduled to bring in Ryan Poles for an interview on Wednesday, but Poles was named the new general manager of the Chicago Bears Tuesday night. Adofo-Mensah and Poles were considered the finalists for the Vikings.
Adofo-Mensah released a statement through the Vikings Wednesday night.
"I am extremely thankful to the Wilf family and the Vikings' organization for giving me the opportunity to lead our football operations and join this respected franchise," Adofo-Mensah said. "There is so much to appreciate about this organization - an existing nucleus of talent on the roster, top-notch facilities, passionate fans and smart people throughout the building who are committed to winning. I look forward to partnering with our next head coach and our entire football operations staff to begin our work of bringing a Super Bowl to Vikings fans."
Cleveland Browns' coach and former Vikings' offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski also released a statement Wednesday on Adofo-Mensah's move.
"I’ve enjoyed getting to know Kwesi and working with him for the last two years. He’s worked extremely hard for this opportunity and the Vikings are getting an outstanding person that will be driven to build a winning culture," Stefanski said. "Kwesi has been a great resource for me and our coaching staff and he will do everything in his power to install a process within the Vikings' organization that will lead to success."
Adofo-Mensah was in the business world before the NFL, working on Wall Street as an associate portfolio manager at Taylor Woods Capital and was vice president/executive director at Credit Suisse as a commodities' trader. He earned an undergraduate degree in economics while playing basketball at Princeton, and earned a master's degree at Stanford.
Adofo-Mensah's first big decision in Minnesota will be getting involved in choosing the next head coach. Zimmer was fired after going 71-56-2, but winning just two playoff games in eight seasons and missing the playoffs five times. Adofo-Mensah will also have several offseason roster decisions to make. One of the biggest will be the future of quarterback Kirk Cousins, who is due to make $45 million guaranteed in the 2022 season.