A Bizarre Ultimatum for Kwesi Adofo-Mensah

Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports.

The Minnesota Vikings’ offseason has evidently hit the ultimatum juncture of the calendar, at least according to one local website.

A Bizarre Ultimatum for Kwesi Adofo-Mensah

Minnesota has several quarterbacks in its offseason roster orbit, including J.J. McCarthy, Sam Darnold, Daniel Jones, Nick Mullens, and Brett Rypien. And that doesn’t even take into account wild rumors involving Aaron Rodgers and Matthew Stafford.

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But according to MinnesotaSportsFan.com, a site that covers the Vikings, Timberwolves, Wild, Twins, and Minnesota college activities, Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah should be fired immediately if he doesn’t apply the franchise tag on Sam Darnold while trading him for a 1st-Round pick.

“Don’t believe the propaganda we are being sold on Sam Darnold. If the Vikings fail to tag and trade the most prized asset on the FA market for anything less than a 1st round pick, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah should be fired on the spot,” MSF’s Eric Strack wrote Thursday, some 18 days before NFL free agency when Darnold will likely hit the open market and join a new club.

Strack referenced the Cleveland Browns trade involving Deshaun Watson three years ago as evidence that quarterbacks have a robust market and apparently feels Darnold might have a similar allure to Watson from the 2022 offseason.

Brad Rempel-Imagn Images.

The problem? Assuming the Vikings would grab a 1st-Rounder for Darnold this offseason is a logical leap that perhaps only Minnesota Sports Fan believes. Darnold performed magnificently through 16 games of the 2024 regular season but later vaporized in the year’s most crucial games — at the Detroit Lions and Los Angeles Rams. Both contests circulated on national television, with the entire world — plus 31 NFL general managers — witnessing Darnold’s pumpkin shapeshift.

If it were common knowledge that Minnesota could extract a 1st-Rounder for Darnold’s services, MSF might be onto something. Yet, some NFL pundits perceive a trade package with Darnold attached in the mid- or late-rounds — not verifiably Round 1.

“While other teams are desperate for QBs, the Minnesota Vikings are desperate for draft picks, being they only hold only four total picks for the upcoming 2025 NFL Draft; yet another reason why Kwesi Adofo-Mensah should be fired for organizational malpractice if he doesn’t tag Sam Darnold,” Strack concluded.

Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports.

Last month, The Athletic‘s Alec Lewis sized up Darnold’s trade market and wrote: “If the Raiders hire a head coach who could build an intriguing enough infrastructure (say, Ben Johnson, though that ship has sailed), Darnold may be interested. In that situation, the Vikings would have to weigh the value of a late-round pick versus what they could potentially recoup as a compensatory pick.”

If Darnold leaves via free agency — with no franchise tag-and-trade — he’ll factor into the NFL’s complicated compensatory draft pick formula. The Vikings, in theory, could grab a 3rd-Rounder for his departure.

In that vein, MSF may be debating itself whether Adofo-Mensah should obtain a mid- to late-rounder via trade or a 3rd-Rounder via compensatory pick.

Minnesota quarterback S. Darnold (14) hands the ball running back Aaron Jones (33) during the first half at Ford Field in Detroit on Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025. © Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images.

Thankfully, the franchise tag window will close in 12 days, and onlookers will receive clarity on the Vikings’ plans.

But let it be known: some popular voices simply believe Darnold is worth a 1st-Round draft pick — even if he’s not. Yep, the same guy who invoked a magician’s disappearing act with the Vikings’ season on the line.

Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL. 

All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.