Vikings Front Office Ranked 3rd Worst in NFL
Dustin Baker
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Pro Football Network does not have warm and fuzzy feelings about the Minnesota Vikings new leadership tandem.
A week and a half ago, PFN ranked Vikings skipper Kevin O’Connell as the worst coach in the NFL, a dubious distinction for a man who has yet to coach a football game as HC. This week, the underwhelming designation for Vikings bosses continued as PFN ranked general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah as the 30th-best GM leaguewide — or third-worst.
Dallas Robinson from PFN ranked all front offices (he called them “decision-makers”) from best to worst, and the Vikings personnel resided near the bottom. Robinson wrote about Minnesota’s brass, “Given his analytical background, Adofo-Mensah seemed primed to take the Vikings in an entirely new direction this offseason. But his transactions didn’t appear all that different from what the Rick Spielman/Mike Zimmer regime would have done.”
For context, PFN was particularly fond of the Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens front offices, which ranked #1 and #2, respectively.
As was the case for O’Connell as “worst in the league,” PFN strangely didn’t create a standalone category for coaches or general managers who haven’t participated in actual games. Because Adofo-Mensah and O’Connell are new to their jobs, they’re penalized, to an extent, by PFN — when the media entity easily could’ve created a “To Be Determined” category. It would fairly lasso all the newcomers. But no cigar, according to PFN.
Adofo-Mensah ruffled feathers in April by trading with division rivals during the 2022 NFL Draft. Heading into the event, the Vikings possessed the 12th overall pick, a prime spot to draft highly-coveted safety Kyle Hamilton, but traded the pick to the Detroit Lions for an unusually equitable package. Generally, teams holding premium draft picks can “abuse” buyers and ask for more trade capital than usual. But the 2022 draft class had no quarterbacks worthy of a king’s ransom, so Adofo-Mensah sent the pick to Detroit for a modest sum.
About 24 hours later, Adofo-Mensah again traded with a division foe, this time the Green Bay Packers. Minnesota handed Green Bay the draft pick needed to select Christian Watson, a wide receiver from North Dakota State University.
All told, the Lions and Packers received these players:
Jameson Williams, WR (DET)
Josh Paschal, EDGE (DET)
Christian Watson, WR (GB)
And the Vikings netted this haul:
Lewis Cine (S)
Andrew Booth (CB)
Ed Ingram (OG)
Brian Asamoah (LB)
Esezi Otomewo (DL)
Ty Chandler (RB)
The Indianapolis Colts also landed assets through later deals with Adofo-Mensah.
Per Robinson at PFN, the only front offices worse than the Vikings are the Las Vegas Raiders (#31) and the Chicago Bears (#32).
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sally from Minneapolis. His Viking fandom dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).
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