Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah is next up for an extension

One down, one to go.

With the Vikings Contract extension For coach Kevin O’Connell, the next man to sign a new deal is general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah.

Via NFL Media, talks are underway to reach a new deal with Adofo-Mensah.

The Vikings went first with O’Connell because time was of the essence. If the Vikings and O’Connell were deadlocked, ownership would have had to make a decision — let O’Connell finish out his contract and become a free agent who could leave without compensation or pursue a trade before the 2025 bench was filled.

Surprisingly, but also not surprisingly, some took the deal’s completion as evidence that there were no issues at all between O’Connell and the Vikings.

As we said, there was. Consider this excerpt From the article by ESPN.com’s Kevin Seifert: “O’Connell was upset after the 2023 season when owners Zygi and Mark Wilf chose not to extend his contract, ESPN reported, at a time when the franchise planned to start over at the quarterback position. Many teams were preparing This month to make trade offers if the two sides can’t agree on an extension, as first reported by Fox Sports and later confirmed by ESPN, given the always possibility that O’Connell could opt to simply work until the expiration. His deal and he becomes a coaching free agent in 2025.

That’s why the Vikings moved so quickly. That’s why we wrote about The urgent need to act quicklyWhy did we point out earlier today that one week after the end of the playoff round, There was no news.

There now. The contract has been reached. Crisis averted. The threat has been neutralized. The future is assured between the Vikings and a guy who can become the team’s new Bud Grant, while also doing the one thing that has eluded the Hall of Famer.