The Minnesota Vikings have received plaudits for bolstering their trenches during the free agency portion of the offseason. However, their activity has also raised some eyebrows.
According to The Athletic’s Mike Sando, the Vikings “caught execs’ attention” with questions about the power structure between general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and senior vice president of player personnel Ryan Grigson, a former exec with the Indianapolis Colts.
This comes on the heels of the Vikings adding $76.9 million in annual salary, per Sando.
“It’s like the 2015 Colts all over again, signing older guys who have been hurt, who are on third or fourth contracts,” an anonymous executive told Sando in comments published on April 3. “You cannot build a team with old players, especially old players who have been cut because they were hurt.”
Sando notes that the Vikings’ top-three free agent signings – defensive linemen Javon Hargrave and Jonathan Allen and former Colts offensive lineman Will Fries – have a combined $49.5 million annual salary.
More ominously, the trio missed 35 of 51 possible games in 2024.
Coming off a historic 14-win season, the Vikings have changed quarterbacks without officially naming a new one, leading to further speculation.
Accounting for the Vikings’ action must also include their decision not to sign Aaron Rodgers or any of the other QBs they have been linked to. That matches their comments about giving the No. 10 overall pick of the 2024 draft every opportunity to prove he deserves the starting job.
Vikings Power Structure Under Microscope After Free Agency
The Vikings’ free agency moves only underscored the uncertainty around Adofo-Mensah, who remains in contract limbo following head coach Kevin O’Connell’s extension and amid a spotty draft record.
“There is no more fascinating team than Minnesota because they have 13- and 14-win seasons over the past three years but no playoff win to show for it and only one division title,” a different anonymous executive told Sando. “The head coach seems like a difference maker, a multiplier. If Kwesi does not get a new deal, would they just promote Grigson? It’s fascinating.”
Vikings owner Mark Wilf said no changes were coming and was optimistic about discussions with Adofo-Mensah, per ESPN’s Kevin Seifert on March 31.
There is also a more practical explanation for their free agency activity.
“Signing cut players instead of true unrestricted free agents does have one key advantage: Adding them does not threaten compensatory picks,” Sando wrote. “The Vikings have a third-round comp pick this year for losing Kirk Cousins last spring. They are in line to add a 2026 third for Sam Darnold and a 2026 fifth for Cam Robinson, per Over the Cap.”
Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s Draft & Trade Record Fueling Speculation
The Vikings selected 16 players over Adofo-Mensah’s first two drafts at the helm. Of those, 6 remain on the roster heading into the 2025 offseason program.
Only one of those players – wide receiver Jordan Addison, the Vikings’ first-round pick in 2023 – is a lock to start. The Vikings traded or cut three members of their 2022 draft class, Adofo-Mensah’s first at some point in 2024.
The Vikings also have a league-low four picks in the 2025 draft.
While ownership is behind Adofo-Mensah, and the Vikings’ free agency moves may have served a dual purpose, they need to see better returns from their draft classes.
Still, they shed more than $96 million in annual salary, giving them $19.6 million in savings, per Sando. If they can come close to their 2024 feats with a second-year QB who is a rookie in terms of on-field experience, the Vikings might consider that a success.
