“You can only stay on one condition” Kwesi Adofo Mensah has been brutally tiped for exit if failed.. 

“You can only stay on one condition” Kwesi Adofo Mensah has been brutally tiped for exit if failed..

NFL Draft Week means there’s no shortage of news and misinformation in the league, and the Minnesota Vikings are undoubtedly a hot topic for both.

These are a few stories to keep an eye on.

Kwesi under pressure
According to Dianna Russini of The Athletic, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah of the Vikings might be the most hotly tipped general manager going into the draft out of all of them. That confirms reports from Charley Waters of the Pioneer Press that Adofo-Mensah lacks the authority Rick Spielman had as general manager of the Vikings, as well as an article I wrote a few months prior suggesting that Kwesi Adofo-Mensah might not be held in the same regard as Kevin O’Connell and that the next draft is vital for KAM.

KAM hasn’t yet established himself with the Vikings organization, and this draft might be his last opportunity to do so before an extension is decided upon or not. Thus far, his first draft has not been very good, and his second draft has not been very good either. And he appears to have difficulty negotiating, at least on the surface. Contract negotiations with players such as Justin Jefferson, Danielle Hunter, Kirk Cousins, and even TJ Hockenson were difficult and resulted in deadlocks. After much haggling, a deal with Hunter was ultimately reached, but talks with Cousins and Jefferson haven’t produced any agreements thus yet.

Similarly, draft trades and free agency deals have been a mixed bag, although this latest round of free agency appears at least initially successful. The most recent draft trade with the Texans in which the Vikings gave up #42, a 2025 second-round pick, and #188 for #23 and #232 was a good deal for the Vikings by most charts, including the Jimmy Johnson and Rich Hill charts.

Nevertheless, Kwesi’s future with the Vikings could very well hinge on how well he does with this draft, both in player selection and any draft day trades.

Vikings Targeting JJ McCarthy with Bo Nix a Fallback Option?

Charley Waters also reports that the Vikings will target JJ McCarthy in a trade up with Bo Nix as a fallback option if the Vikings are unable to land McCarthy. Waters thinks the Vikings will trade up to #4 or #5 and draft McCarthy, which will require #11 and #23 and possibly their 2025 first-round pick. Waters says the team is reluctant to part ways with the 2025 first-rounder because it could turn into a high pick if the Vikings end up in last place in the NFC North but would consider trading their 2026 first-round pick instead.

Nix and McCarthy were among the three most accurate passers (along with Jayden Daniels) among the top six QBs in this year’s draft class, so with Kevin O’Connell and Kwesi Adofo-Mensah both saying accuracy is a “first and foremost” consideration for a quarterback prospect, those options make sense. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Vikings have looked into trade contingencies if Jayden Daniels isn’t selected #2 overall as well.

But several other reports suggest the Vikings are targeting Drake Maye in a trade-up scenario. Many of those reports, like this one from Ben Volin, cite that the Vikings’ QB coach Josh McCown used to coach Drake Maye in high school as a connection.

Might the Vikings Get a Big Bonus from the Commissioner?

Adam Schefter reported today that the NFL may be coming to a resolution on the Kirk Cousins tampering case ahead of the draft on Thursday, which could bring a potentially big bonus to the Vikings. Prior to the draft last year, a tampering case was resolved with a settlement between the Eagles and Cardinals for the latter’s tampering. Schefter reports that the punishment for the Falcons “will be more severe.”

Now it’s unclear if the punishment will be the Falcons forfeiting draft picks or whether the Vikings will be the beneficiary of the Falcons draft pick losses, as they were the team victimized by the Falcons tampering with Kirk Cousins. The Vikings would need to have certified a compliant to receive compensation from the Commissioner according to the league rules on tampering, but it’s also possible that the resolution comes in the form of a league-brokered settlement between the two teams.

In any case, given the high-profile nature of the tampering- the top free agent on the market and a top QB in the league- who the Falcons also signed, the punishment if the tampering proved to be extensive or went high enough in the Falcons organization, could be the most severe to date. The Dolphins lost a first-round pick for tampering with Tom Brady, even though they didn’t sign him. It’s anybody’s guess how the Commissioner will deal with the Falcons tampering, but a resolution could be coming in the next few days.

Paul Allen chimed in on issue on KFAN today as well, suggesting that swapping pick #23 for pick #8 is ‘on his radar’ if the tampering is proven- for what that’s worth. Any resolution that gives the Vikings more first-round draft capital would be a huge bonus for the Vikings.