When the Minnesota Vikings decided to move on from both head coach Mike Zimmer, they wanted new leadership to lead this team to a potential Super Bowl.
Moving on from both at the same time can be risky because it’s difficult enough to find a long-term solution at one of those spots let alone finding both of them.
The biggest hit was landing general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah who was the number two in Cleveland before taking the job. He hired head coach Kevin O’Connell and has the Vikings sitting at 12-3 in his first year in charge.
The Athletic’s Mike Jones compiled a list of 12 general managers, with six having their teams trending in the right direction and he is very high on what Adofo-Mensah is doing.
“The first-year GM inherited a roster that had some talent but also needed an infusion of youth and depth to maximize potential. Adofo-Mensah’s first critical move was to hire Kevin O’Connell as head coach. The former journeyman quarterback and offensive coordinator Wes Phillips came in and modernized the Vikings offense. Then Adofo-Mensah made a series of smart moves in the draft by trading back to acquire more picks and meet important depth needs. Fast forward to the regular season, where the Vikings (12-3) have ranked among the top teams in the NFC. They have won in just about every manner imaginable — blowouts, nail-biters, comebacks. They’ve won pretty. They’ve won ugly. They figure to enter the postseason well-tested and looking at their best chance in years for a deep run.”
One season doesn’t tell the whole story, but he has certainly maximized what the Vikings have done this season.
