All Things 2022 Minnesota Vikings Off-Season Thread

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Ope3 said:
I have heard that also being possible. However, on that improbable situation I would think it would be via expansion, with the majority of the fee going to the Bears for having their territory rights compromised.

LA was different with the Rams just reappearing back in the area. Don't know what rights the Rams had. Plus having paid for the majority of the construction costs, they were ok with having the Chargers as a tenant getting some income back. Just my amateur take on that deal.

What's crazy was that the Raiders desperately wanted in on LA. They got shut out of the deal and eventually had to "settle" for Las Vegas. Couldn't have worked out any better for them as it turned out. Ka-ching!
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FWIW, there is this from a quick Google search:

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2021/06/18/could-chicago-host-two-nfl-teams-eventually/

It’s not as crazy as it may sound at first blush. Stadium politics will compel some owners who can’t get free money to build or renovate stadiums in their existing cities to consider other alternatives. If Bears build their own stadium (like Rams owner Stan Kroenke has done), adding another team to the mix and the extra 10 home games per year that go along with it, a team in a market that can’t or won’t pay for all or most of a new or renovated stadium could be inclined to make the move.

Then there’s the issue of expansion. Although the league hasn’t begun to float that possibility, it’s looming. Legalized gambling cries out for increased inventory of things on which to bet. The 17-game season inevitably will become an 18-game season. Then, the only way to increase the number of games will be to increase the number of teams.

So where would a new team land? St. Louis? The pending Rams relocation litigation against the league possibly burns that bridge. San Diego? Good luck getting taxpayer money for a stadium there. San Antonio? The Texans and Cowboys would likely never tolerate another team wedged between their markets.

Other than London — which quite possibly will end up with two teams in its two NFL-ready stadiums — Chicago may be the only viable spot for a team. Especially if the relocation/expansion of a team to Chicago makes it more financially viable for the Bears to buy and build a replacement for Soldier Field.
 



BleedGopher said:

Skol Vikes!!
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Just like women; you tend to go the opposite direction with the next one than what you had with the last one. You hear a lot of talk about KAM and the new direction about "collaboration"; I was a Zim fan but by all accounts he wasn't much of a collaborator.

I'm optimistic about the hire, he was the one I preferred over the options listed. I imagine everyone will be hanging on every single word he says in the coming days/weeks, trying to read ANYTHING into what his intentions are with Cousins and the QB position. I would guess that was a big part of the interview process, what would you do, how would you handle the situation.
 



Wally said:
Not for GM. I want a guy who can think outside the box. Not someone entrenched in football culture.
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That would mean I could still be considered for a gm position, and you'd be out.
 

per Shama:

Spielman said that not since 2017 have two defensive oriented head coaches had their teams in the Super Bowl. That year matched up the Patriots’ Bill Belichick and the Falcons’ Dan Quinn, two defensive specialists.

The four remaining teams in the 2022 NFL playoffs are led by head coaches with accomplished offensive backgrounds. The veteran of the group is the Chiefs’ Andy Reid, who won the 2020 Super Bowl. Sean McVay of the Rams and Kyle Shanahan from the 49ers had their franchises in the 2019 and 2020 Super Bowls respectively. Zac Taylor, in just his third season as a head coach, has the Bengals within one win of representing the AFC in the 2022 Super Bowl. Reid is 63 but the other three head coaches are all 42 or younger.

It will be surprising if the Vikings don’t hire an offensive specialist as head coach. Not only is that a trend, but historically college and pro teams often switch back and forth between offensive and defensive backgrounds when hiring head coaches.


Skol Vikes!!
 

The Athletic: Why the Vikings hired former Browns exec Kwesi Adofo-Mensah as their new GM

Why Adofo-Mensah?​

Throughout this search, the Vikings made clear that they weren’t necessarily tied to the traditional route of a scout working his way up to eventually becoming an assistant general manager before taking on a head job. The selection of the 40-year-old Adofo-Mensah further solidifies that.

Adofo-Mensah graduated from Princeton (where he was a walk-on on the basketball team) with a degree in economics, then earned his master’s degree from Stanford. He worked as a day trader before entering the NFL only nine years ago.

He’s been labeled as an analytics whiz during his time in the NFL even if he had a more traditional football operations role in recent years, negotiating contracts and having input on day-to-day roster decisions. The Vikings valued that background. While they’ve been an organization willing to embrace analytics at times, previous leadership wasn’t as eager to actually implement it on Sundays. Now Adofo-Mensah brings that mindset to the top of the organization.

The Vikings also plan to keep many of the same scouts and front office members in place even with Adofo-Mensah’s arrival. The top of the organization didn’t want massive changes in the scouting department, and since that’s not Adofo-Mensah’s background, he was, according to a source, more willing to accommodate those wishes than perhaps Ryan Poles, the other GM finalist who accepted the same job with the Chicago Bears, would have been.

Adofo-Mensah also had a relationship with Vikings CEO Andrew Miller, according to a source, dating back to Miller’s time in Major League Baseball in Cleveland. There, Miller helped orchestrate an analytically inclined front office, led in part by Derek Falvey, who is currently the Twins president of baseball operations.

The move gives the Vikings a fresh, young voice at the top of the organization who is analytically inclined, but also someone who gained the respect of football lifers and is willing to lean on the scouting department.

“He brings a nice blend of both an insider and an outsider perspective to football,” Andrew Berry, the Browns general manager who hired Adofo-Mensah, said in 2020. “Probably the best part of him is just the person. He is humble, high integrity, a continuous learner with a true growth mindset. He has fantastic interpersonal and people skills.”

Who is Adofo-Mensah?​

Adofo-Mensah got his first NFL job in 2013, working as a manager in research and development for the 49ers, who became one of the most analytically driven teams. He was promoted to director in 2017.

During a trip to the scouting combine, Adofo-Mensah rode an elevator with Berry, and the two had a 15-minute conversation, which led to an ongoing relationship. When Berry was named general manager of the Browns in 2020, he hired Adofo-Mensah as his vice president of football operations.

While Adofo-Mensah’s time in the league up to that point had mostly been in analytics, Adofo-Mensah transitioned into more of a traditional front-office job in Cleveland, working on contract negotiations and day-to-day roster construction.

theathletic.com

Why the Vikings hired former Browns exec Kwesi Adofo-Mensah as their new GM

The Vikings agreed Wednesday to a four-year deal with the 40-year-old Adofo-Mensah to become the franchise's next general manager.
theathletic.com theathletic.com

Skol Vikes!!
 



BleedGopher said:
per Shama:

Spielman said that not since 2017 have two defensive oriented head coaches had their teams in the Super Bowl. That year matched up the Patriots’ Bill Belichick and the Falcons’ Dan Quinn, two defensive specialists.

The four remaining teams in the 2022 NFL playoffs are led by head coaches with accomplished offensive backgrounds. The veteran of the group is the Chiefs’ Andy Reid, who won the 2020 Super Bowl. Sean McVay of the Rams and Kyle Shanahan from the 49ers had their franchises in the 2019 and 2020 Super Bowls respectively. Zac Taylor, in just his third season as a head coach, has the Bengals within one win of representing the AFC in the 2022 Super Bowl. Reid is 63 but the other three head coaches are all 42 or younger.

It will be surprising if the Vikings don’t hire an offensive specialist as head coach. Not only is that a trend, but historically college and pro teams often switch back and forth between offensive and defensive backgrounds when hiring head coaches.


Skol Vikes!!
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I get this whole offensive minded versus defensive minded Head Coach but I just don't think it matters one bit. Zero.

At the end of the day, the new Vikes HC will live and die with who they surround themselves with. If I'm a defensive guy, like Raheem Morris, and I get the Vikings HC gig, I'm going out and hiring an elite caliber OC, one that could/should likely have their own HC job by now; get a guy where you don't have to worry about an entire side of the football altogether.

It just doesn't matter if the new HC is a defensive guy or offensive guy, just get the right people around you.
 

I believe neither Hackett or the Rams OC call plays. Could we get either of them as Assistant HC/OC to Morris or Ryans if they don't get a HC job? The only downside is you'd likely lose them in 1-2 years.
 

Doogie said a writer who knows Harbaugh well said not to sleep on the Vikings as a destination for him. And Mensah did work with him in SF. But I can't see the Wilf's paying what it would take. They still owe Zim like $8 million.
 

howeda7 said:
Doogie said a writer who knows Harbaugh well said not to sleep on the Vikings as a destination for him. And Mensah did work with him in SF. But I can't see the Wilf's paying what it would take. They still owe Zim like $8 million.
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$8 million is chump change to the Wilfs.

I can't think of one instance where the Wilfs refused to spend in order to attempt to build a winner.

The Wilfs are not the Pohlads.
 



RememberMurray said:
$8 million is chump change to the Wilfs.

I can't think of one instance where the Wilfs refused to spend in order to attempt to build a winner.

The Wilfs are not the Pohlads.
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They're not when it comes to player payroll, but supposedly they low-balled Poles in their negotiations...
 

howeda7 said:
They're not when it comes to player payroll, but supposedly they low-balled Poles in their negotiations...
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I hadn't heard that. If true, that's a surprise.

The Wilfs just fired their coach and GM, both of whom had somewhat successful but not great track records. That seems to indicate they want to win and win big.

It doesn't make sense that they would make big changes at the top of the organization only to cheap out on the replacement hires.
 

howeda7 said:
They're not when it comes to player payroll, but supposedly they low-balled Poles in their negotiations...
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Based on what? And why would they be negotiating with someone who hadn't even had their second interview?
 

howeda7 said:
Doogie said a writer who knows Harbaugh well said not to sleep on the Vikings as a destination for him. And Mensah did work with him in SF. But I can't see the Wilf's paying what it would take. They still owe Zim like $8 million.
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RememberMurray said:
$8 million is chump change to the Wilfs.

I can't think of one instance where the Wilfs refused to spend in order to attempt to build a winner.

The Wilfs are not the Pohlads.
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They owe Zim much more than $8 million. That's just the amount for 2022. They also owe him substantial dough for 2023.
 
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Ope3 said:
They owe Zim much more than $8 million. That's just the amount for 2022. They also owe him a substantial dough for 2023.
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I think the Wilfs can hire a new GM and coach without worrying too much about a few million here, a few million there.

The Wilfs are not just comfortably rich. They are mega-wealthy. They live in a world we can't even imagine when it comes to wealth.
 

howeda7 said:
They're not when it comes to player payroll, but supposedly they low-balled Poles in their negotiations...
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I had heard that rumor, but I don’t buy it. They hadn’t completed a 2nd interview with him and thus I doubt they had an offer on the table. Kwesi’s contract is reported to be 12 Mil over 4 years. That’s really good pay for a first time GM and I doubt their offer to Poles would have been much different.
 

RememberMurray said:
I think the Wilfs can hire a new GM and coach without worrying too much about a few million here, a few million there.

The Wilfs are not just comfortably rich. They are mega-wealthy. They live in a world we can't even imagine when it comes to wealth.
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Point taken, just calling out that it far more than $8 million.
 


Ope3 said:
They owe Zim much more than $8 million. That's just the amount for 2022. They also owe him a substantial dough for 2023.
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Yikes. I figured that was both years.
 

Ogee Oglethorpe said:
I get this whole offensive minded versus defensive minded Head Coach but I just don't think it matters one bit. Zero.

At the end of the day, the new Vikes HC will live and die with who they surround themselves with. If I'm a defensive guy, like Raheem Morris, and I get the Vikings HC gig, I'm going out and hiring an elite caliber OC, one that could/should likely have their own HC job by now; get a guy where you don't have to worry about an entire side of the football altogether.

It just doesn't matter if the new HC is a defensive guy or offensive guy, just get the right people around you.
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In today's offense dominated NFL I think stability on that side of the ball is more beneficial than stability on defense. Sure both can work but I would still lean offense.
 

howeda7 said:
Yikes. I figured that was both years.
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Also heard it from Doogie originally, so take it for what it's worth though I did hear it somewhere else, a good chunk of 2023 is owed.
 


JimmyJamesMD said:
I am really interested to see who the GM picks as coach.

Get someone more seasoned as a safer pick, take the chance of getting undermined.

Take a chance on a first timer, he may be a crappy coach
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This franchise has never won a Super Bowl, and hasn't been to one in 45 years.

Keep rolling the dice. Roll it on a coach and keep rolling it on a young QB until you find one.
 

Of course, should have gone to one (and won it) in 1998, except for sports gods taking a dump on Minnesota with glee.

But that team was built on offense.


Hiring a DC-Head Coach just feels like a Zimmer repeat. :(
 


KAM seemed like a good guy, much more likeable than Spielman. I liked that he taught a financial intelligence class to the 49er's players. I hope they hire the right coach, and have a good draft, that will be more impressive to the fans.
 


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