Getty Defensive Coordinator DeMeco Ryan of the San Francisco 49ers looks on from the sidelines against the Kansas City Chiefs during the fouth quarter at Levi's Stadium on August 14, 2021 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
The first domino has fallen in Minneapolis as the Minnesota Vikings on Wednesday named Kwesi Adofo-Mensah the team’s new general manager. With that announcement also comes a new top candidate for the team’s open head coaching position.
Adofo-Mensah most recently served as the Vice President of Football Operations for the Cleveland Browns. Before being hired to that position last offseason, the first seven years of his NFL career were spent with the San Francisco 49ers working in the football research and development department. While a member of the Niners organization, Adofo-Mensah developed close ties to DeMeco Ryans, a former NFL linebacker who was promoted to defensive coordinator in San Francisco this season.
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As soon as it became clear that Adofo-Mensah was the Vikings choice for GM, top NFL insiders from around the league began to speculate that Ryans must immediately be considered a frontrunner to become Minnesota’s next head coach.
Reports of Ryans as Vikings Frontrunner Pour in With News of Adofo-Mensah Hiring
GettyFormer Philadelphia Eagles linebacker and current San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans is a rising star among NFL coaches.
Albert Breer, of The Monday Morning Quarterback, took to Twitter Tuesday, January 25 with his thoughts on the developing situation.
If the Vikings hire Kwesi Adofo-Mensah as GM today, it’s important to note that he hasn’t “packaged” himself with a coaching candidate in interviews. I think he’ll be open-minded. But hard not to connect him with 49ers DC DeMeco Ryans.
Adofo-Mensah and Ryans were together in SF.
“If the Vikings hire Kwesi Adofo Mensah as GM today, it’s important to note that he hasn’t ‘packaged’ himself with a coaching candidate in interviews,” Breer tweeted. “I think he’ll be open-minded. But hard not to connect him with 49ers DC DeMeco Ryans. Adofo-Mensah and Ryans were together in SF.”
Nick Wagoner, who covers the Niners for ESPN, piggybacked on a report from ESPN’s Courtney Cronin Tuesday when she noted that the Vikings’ other finalist for the GM position, Ryan Poles, had accepted the same job with the division rival Chicago Bears.
In his post, Wagoner echoed Breer’s opinion that Ryans is now the leader in the clubhouse for the open head coaching position in Minnesota.
“This would seem to put DeMeco Ryans squarely in the mix to be the Vikings next head coach,” Wagoner tweeted. “No guarantees, of course, but he and Adofo-Mensah worked together in San Francisco for three years. Ryans first interviewed with Minnesota on Sunday.”
Ryans Has Ascended Quickly to Head Coaching Candidacy Status
GettyDefensive Coordinator DeMeco Ryans (left), of the San Francisco 49ers, talks with linebacker Fred Warner (right) during training camp at SAP Performance Facility on July 31, 2021 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
Ryans has risen quickly through the NFL coaching ranks to already be considered for a head coaching job, and a solid one at that in Minnesota. But that doesn’t mean he isn’t qualified or that he isn’t ready.
The Houston Texans drafted Ryans out of the University of Alabama in 2006. He went on to have a distinguished 10-year playing career, earning two trips to the Pro Bowl in 2007 and 2009. He spent his final four seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles before retiring after the 2015 season at the age of 31.
Ryans began his NFL coaching tenure in 2017 as the 49ers defensive quality control coach. He moved to linebackers coach the following season, holding that position for three years before being named defensive coordinator in 2021.
San Francisco’s defense has terrorized opponents during these playoffs, handing the Dallas Cowboys and the Green Bay Packers home defeats and amassing 10 sacks and 20 quarterback hits between the two contests while surrendering a total of just 27 postseason points. The numbers were just as impressive during the regular season, as Pro Football Focus (PFF) rated the Niners’ defense 8th out of 32 NFL teams across the entirety of 17-game schedule.
Ryans, at just 37 years old, would be one of the youngest coaches in the NFL, but his experience and success as both a coach and a player have built him a qualifying resumé. Combine that with his connection to Adofo-Mensah and it might just be enough to make him the next head coach of the Minnesota Vikings.