Vikings, GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah agree to contract extension

After months of negotiations this offseason, Vikings General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah signed a multiyear contract extension on Friday to continue leading the team’s football operations.

Adofo-Mensah, like coach Kevin O’Connell, was entering the final season of a four-year contract signed in January 2022. On Jan. 21, eight days after the Vikings’ playoff loss to the Los Angeles Rams, they agreed with O’Connell on an extension that runs through the 2029 season.

The Vikings remained in discussions with Adofo-Mensah about his extension, and owner and President Mark Wilf said in late March that the team wanted to complete a new deal with the GM this offseason.

A four-year deal similar to O’Connell’s would have Adofo-Mensah signed through the 2030 NFL draft, but the terms of Adofo-Mensah’s contract were not immediately available. The GM’s previous contract was set to expire after the 2026 draft.

“Kwesi’s leadership, vision and collaboration with our coaching staff has positioned the Minnesota Vikings for sustained success,” Wilf said Friday in a statement released by the team. “His dedication and forward-thinking approach have been instrumental in shaping our roster and future, and we are confident that under the guidance of him and Kevin O’Connell, we will continue to compete at the highest level as we pursue a championship for Vikings fans.”

Asked March 26 if he read into O’Connell’s contract extension being inked quicker than his own, Adofo-Mensah said no.

“Every situation’s different,” he said. “I know the Wilfs value the things I bring to this organization. I know I love it here. We’ve been able to accomplish a lot of different things.”

Later he added: “It’s probably on me that it’s not going quicker because, again, I wake up every morning focused on the things I need to focus on to get this team into where they want to go. That mindset that it’s my job to be the serving leader for them, that doesn’t change just because of a contract maybe has a year left on it.”

Adofo-Mensah, the 43-year-old who was once a Wall Street trader before becoming a 49ers analytics staffer, has overseen a roster overhaul that left just 11 players, including receiver Justin Jefferson and left tackle Christian Darrisaw, from the roster he inherited in 2022.

In three years, Adofo-Mensah has been aggressive in the free agent and trade markets, acquiring tight end T.J. Hockenson, cornerback Stephon Gilmore, and left tackle Cam Robinson either midseason or, in Gilmore’s case, a few weeks prior to the start of the season.

The Vikings’ 14-win campaign last year was fueled by his 2024 free agent class led by quarterback Sam Darnold, linebacker Blake Cashman, and edge rushers Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel.

But initial drafts under Adofo-Mensah have been rife with misses.

Only 12 of 23 players from Adofo-Mensah’s first three draft classes (2022-24) remain with the team. The Vikings made five selections in this year’s draft.

Adofo-Mensah’s top task right now — guided by the quarterback-focused O’Connell — is transitioning again at the NFL’s most important position: first from quarterback Kirk Cousins to Darnold and now Darnold to J.J. McCarthy, the 10th overall pick in 2024.

After briefly entertaining reunions with Darnold and Daniel Jones, the Vikings let both walk in free agency and traded with the Seahawks for quarterback Sam Howell, whose 18 NFL starts make him the most experienced option in a Vikings quarterback room that also contains McCarthy, Brett Rypien and undrafted rookie Max Brosmer.

Adofo-Mensah came to Minnesota with a reputation for being curious and collaborative at previous stops in Cleveland and San Francisco. He helped organize San Francisco’s 2017 head-coaching search that landed on Kyle Shanahan, years before he helped the Vikings hire O’Connell.

He has often credited Vikings ownership, the Wilf family, for their support. That is evident in how many hires Adofo-Mensah has made to the team’s administration and personnel departments.

When the Vikings hired Adofo-Mensah, there were 26 employees listed in scouting, administration and data analysis. Last year, the team had 38 employees listed under Adofo-Mensah and Rob Brzezinski, the executive vice president of football operations, including two personnel directors hired by Adofo-Mensah: Ryan Grigson and Demitrius Washington, who were both recently promoted to assistant general manager, according to a league source.

Adofo-Mensah, who references algorithm analysis like Monte Carlo simulations, is the NFL’s first general manager from an analytical background.

Last year, the Vikings were one of 13 teams employing at least five staffers in quantitative analysis roles, according to an ESPN analysis. However, one of those Vikings employees, quantitative methods associate Chenzo Funari, broke down the proverbial walls between data analysis and coaching. Funari transitioned to the coaching side for the 2025 season as a defensive quality control coach.

The Vikings have another three staffers who develop and manage their database systems.

Staff writer Ben Goessling contributed to this report.

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