Kwesi Adofo-Mensah (QUAY-see ah-dough-fo MEN-suh), who was hired as the Minnesota Vikings General Manager on Jan. 26, 2022, enters his fourth season in Minnesota and 13th season in the NFL in 2025. He signed a multi-year contract extension with the Vikings in May 2025.
Adofo-Mensah's first three years as general manager featured two 13-win seasons in 2022 (13-4) and 2024 (14-3), as well as multiple playoff berths and an NFC North title during the 2022 season, which was the team's first since 2017. Minnesota's 14 wins in 2024 were the second most in a single season in franchise history, trailing only the team's 15 victories in 1998.
Adofo-Mensah bolstered the Vikings roster during the 2024 offseason, signing LB Blake Cashman, QB Sam Darnold, CB Stephon Gilmore, OLB Jonathan Greenard, RB Aaron Jones Sr., DL Jerry Tillery and LB Andrew Van Ginkel, among other contributors. Three of Adofo-Mensah's 2024 free agent signings – Darnold, Greenard and Van Ginkel – were voted to the 2025 NFL Pro Bowl, while Van Ginkel was also named to The Associated Press All-Pro Second Team for the first time in his six-year NFL tenure.
The Vikings 14 victories with Darnold as their starting quarterback in 2024 were the most wins in NFL history by a quarterback in his first season with a team since at least 1950. Darnold also became the winningest quarterback in a season in franchise history. Defensively, Greenard finished third in the NFL with 80 quarterback pressures (per Pro Football Focus), tied for fourth with 18 tackles for loss and tied for fifth league wide with 12 sacks. Van Ginkel led the league with two interception-return touchdowns, tied for fourth with 18 tackles for loss and tied for eighth in the NFL with 11.5 sacks. Together, Greenard and Van Ginkel were the only duo in the NFL in 2024 to each have at least 11.5 sacks on the season.
During the 2024 NFL Draft, the Vikings executed multiple trades during the first round to ultimately land both QB J.J. McCarthy and OLB Dallas Turner on the opening night of the draft. McCarthy was selected 10th overall and became the highest drafted quarterback in franchise history, while Turner was selected by the Vikings with the 17th overall pick following a trade with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
In his first three seasons as general manager, Adofo-Mensah extended the contracts of TE T.J. Hockenson, WR Justin Jefferson and T Christian Darrisaw, three cornerstones of the Vikings offense. Jefferson, who was extended in June of 2024, and Darrisaw, who was extended the following month, both signed four-year contract extensions. Jefferson's contract made him the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history. Hockenson, who Adofo-Mensah traded for hours before the 2022 NFL trade deadline, signed a four-year contract extension in August of 2023.
Adofo-Mensah's first two selections in the 2023 NFL Draft – WR Jordan Addison (23rd overall) and CB Mekhi Blackmon (102nd overall) – stepped up in their rookie seasons in absence of injured veterans. Addison assumed the Vikings' No. 1 receiver role while Justin Jefferson was on Reserve/Injured, starting 14 of the 17 games he played. His 10 receiving touchdowns tied for the most among all rookies in the NFL (Sam LaPorta) and tied for the fourth most among all players in the league. Addison became the 13th player in NFL history to record at least 900 receiving yards and 10 receiving touchdowns in his rookie season. Blackmon also made multiple starts as a rookie in 2023, appearing in 15 games, making three starts. He was the only rookie league wide to tally at least eight passes defensed, an interception and a fumble recovery during the 2023 season.
During his first season as general manager, Adofo-Mensah made a slew of savvy roster moves, including signing QB Kirk Cousins to an extension, signing veteran free agent OLB Za'Darius Smith and executing an in-season trade for Hockenson, all of which earned Pro Bowl honors for the 2022 season. Additionally, Adofo-Mensah also re-signed CB Patrick Peterson, who experienced one of the best seasons of his Hall of Fame career, registering five interceptions and 15 passes defended, both the second-highest single-season totals of this career.
Prior to his hire by the Vikings, Adofo-Mensah worked closely with Cleveland Browns Executive Vice President of Football Operations and General Manager Andrew Berry and provided input for all roster and strategy decisions. Additionally, he assisted Berry and the football staff with overseeing and managing the day-to-day operations of the team.
Adofo-Mensah helped oversee the Browns' 2021 NFL Draft, where the team selected CB Greg Newsome II and LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, two immediate-impact rookies who landed on the NFL's All-Rookie Team. Newsome, their first-round selection (26th overall), started in 11 games and posted nine passes defensed, the most by a Browns rookie since CB Denzel Ward in 2018. Owusu-Koramoah, their second-round pick (52nd overall), started in 10 games, posted 76 tackles, two forced fumbles, 1.5 sacks and three tackles for loss. Owusu-Koramoah and Cowboys LB Micah Parsons were the only two rookies in the NFL to have at least 75 tackles and two forced fumbles in 2021.
Prior to the Browns, Adofo-Mensah spent seven seasons with the San Francisco 49ers, where he first entered the NFL. During his tenure with the 49ers, Adofo-Mensah quickly advanced in the football research and development department. He joined the team as football research and development analyst (2013-15) before earning promotions to manager of football research and development in 2017 and director of football research and development in 2018. As the lead of football research and development, Adofo-Mensah ran the team's efforts to develop and implement advanced quantitative methods for game strategy and personnel evaluation, playing a vital role in helping the 2019 NFC No. 1 playoff seed 49ers capture the conference title.
While with the 49ers, Adofo-Mensah helped the front office select three All-Pros (LB Fred Warner, WR Deebo Samuel and TE George Kittle) and the 2019 Associated Press Defensive Rookie of the Year, DE Nick Bosa. Warner inked a long-term contract with the 49ers, making him the highest-paid inside linebacker in the NFL.
In June 2021, Adofo-Mensah led a session at the NFL and Black College Football Hall of Fame's fourth-annual Quarterback and Coaching Summit and inaugural Ozzie Newsome General Manager Forum, where he shared his personal story of his rise from a trader and portfolio manager on Wall Street to working in NFL front offices with a data-driven approach to finding talent while providing a quantitative view to grading a quarterback's short, medium and deep ball accuracy that could be used across the league.
Adofo-Mensah began his professional career as an associate portfolio manager at Taylor Woods Capital and vice president/executive director at Credit Suisse as a commodities trader before entering the NFL in 2013. The Cherry Hill, N.J., native received his bachelor's degree in economics from Princeton, where he also played basketball. Adofo-Mensah received his master's degree in economics from Stanford.
