Getty Quarterback Kirk Cousins, formerly of the Minnesota Vikings.
There have been many critiques of the Minnesota Vikings’ decision to move on from Kirk Cousins arguing that the team has entered quarterback purgatory.
However, Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah understands what’s on the other side from a roster-building perspective.
“I know we talk about quarterback a lot — it is the most important position in our sport — but it’s the most important position in a team sport. It’s not just getting the quarterback right, it’s getting the quarterback right and the team around it,” Adofo-Mensah said in an April 11 news conference. “If you look at our offseason, in a sense it’s kind of the goal. Between quarterback assets and everything else, I think our draft will follow the same suit.”
The Vikings’ free agency was emblematic of the type of spenders they can be in free agency without a veteran quarterback contract to plan around in the future. The defense received needed reinforcements in edge rushers Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel and inside linebacker Blake Cashman, all top-100 free agents on Pro Football Focus’ big board.
On offense, the Vikings were at liberty to splurge on signing Pro Bowl running back Aaron Jones, fortifying the run game with questions surrounding the future at quarterback. Sam Darnold appears to be in line to start until a presumptive first-round rookie quarterback proves he’s ready.
And while a trade-up could appear to be a desperate move for a team needing to find their quarterback of the future, it’s a plan hatched since Adofo-Mensah and Kevin O’Connell arrived in Minnesota — not a play made two months ago when Cousins moved on.
The Vikings’ trade for the No. 23 pick was an affirmation they’re ready to pay the cost of finding their answer at quarterback for the next 10 years.
“We’re going to give ourselves a great shot at it. We’ve put a lot into this over the last couple years — this isn’t a one-year thing or a three-month thing — this is something Kevin and I really set in motion when we first got here. We’ve put a lot into it and we’ll see what happens on draft day,” Adofo-Mensah said.
Vikings ‘In Love’ With Several QBs in Draft
Getty2024 NFL Draft quarterback prospects Drake Maye of North Carolina (left), Jayden Daniels of LSU (middle) and J.J. McCarthy of Michigan (right)
While the Vikings are prepared to make an aggressive offer to trade up to land a top-four quarterback in this year’s draft, Adofo-Mensah is posturing they’re comfortable sitting back and seeing how the board falls.
“There are multiple guys that we are in love with,” Adofo-Mensah said, per The Star Tribune. “But there’s also other guys that we are in love with … if we get them at a certain value.”
Blue-chip prospects like Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye or J.J. McCarthy remain the ideal choice for the Vikings. However, Adofo-Mensah’s comment show they’re comfortable taking a prospect outside the top 10 like Michael Penix Jr. or Bo Nix.
While the Vikings should strongly pursue their top choice at quarterback, signaling they’re comfortable not trading up plants the possibility with potential trade partners who are looking to up the price of a trade-up.
“I do think you’re supposed to price in, you know, a little bit of irrationality,” Adofo-Mensah said. “But then really, it’s always about walkaway prices. And walkaway prices, to me, are meaningful because it’s another action. Your only leverage in the negotiation is your willingness to do something else.”
Why Vikings Picking QB Later Can Still Work
GettyMichael Penix of the Washinton Huskies
Adofo-Mensah, who started his NFL career working as manager of football research with the San Francisco 49ers, knows what it takes to build a perennial contender.
Building up roster depth and signing top-end talent entering their prime has been the model in San Francisco that has led to four conference championship appearances and three Super Bowl berths in the past five seasons.
A quarterback on a rookie-scale contract offers tremendous cap savings that allow teams to sign Pro Bowl-caliber free agents. The Vikings are poised to do just that next year, boasting $102.4 million in cap space, the fourth-most in the league, for the 2025 season.
Supplementing the free agency through the draft also allows the Vikings to get difference-making players at a discount — and declining a trade-up offer could save the Vikings the No. 23 pick and a future 2025 first-rounder.
That pick could be valuable, considering the Vikings are projected to be at the bottom of the NFC North next season — and opting for a quarterback prospect outside the top 10 picks but retaining that future draft capital is still a promising future for Minnesota.
Carson Wentz wasn’t a 10-year answer for the Philadelphia Eagles at quarterback, but he led a loaded roster for the majority of their 2017 Super Bowl run.
The Eagles reset the quarterback clock by drafting Jalen Hurts just months after extending Wentz because they felt Hurts could exceed his draft status as a second-round pick and bring a new dimension to the Eagles offense.
Philadelphia traded Wentz once his play did not match the value of his contract. Offloading his veteran contract from their books allowed the Eagles to rebuild around Hurts with their newfound cap space in a couple of years.
The Vikings are still carrying Cousins’ dead cap hit for the 2024 season, but the benefits of moving off him are already evident with the additions to the roster in free agency.