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The general manager of the Minnesota Vikings is opening up about what his team needs to do to make a Super Bowl. Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah says his team needs to play smart football on offense, while playing aggressively on defense.
“To play January football, there’s a certain way you’ve got to play. You’ve got to be able to control the ball, and be able to get after the passer with just four. … We need to get better and will,” Adofo-Mensah said, per The Athletic.
Minnesota surprised a lot of people in the 2024 NFL season. The Vikings got a lot out of veteran quarterback Sam Darnold, who helped guide the team to a 14 win season. Minnesota lost in disappointing fashion in the NFC Playoffs, to the Los Angeles Rams.
The Vikings have high expectations for the 2025 season. Minnesota is hopeful to have young quarterback J.J. McCarthy back from injury. That leaves the question of what to do with Darnold, however.
Darnold is set to become a free-agent, but the team may not be ready to watch him go.
“Every option is afforded to us,” Adofo-Mensah said, per NBC Sports. “When we did the move originally, we wanted to create optionality. And part of the optionality was believing and betting on a guy who was young, talented — believing in our infrastructure to be able to do the things we can do with the quarterbacks. So, we’re now in a position where we have options. And we’ll continue to work those options, figure out the best way for the Vikings to move forward.”
Darnold threw for 4,319 passing yards in the 2024 season. He tossed for 35 touchdowns, with 12 interceptions. Things didn’t go well in his last few games, though. He took nine sacks in the playoff loss to the Rams.
“I’ve had great dialogue with Sam from the time the season ended up until very, very recently,” Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell said. “I think my relationship with Sam has grown to a point where the respect level is sky high. This process is going to play out both short-term and long-term for the Minnesota Vikings. And Sam is in a position where the NFL thinks he can play quarterback at a high level.
“So, that’s a really good thing and I feel very proud to be a part of helping him get to this point. We’ll see where it goes from here.”
The Vikings will now look for new talent at the 2025 NFL Combine, which opens Thursday.
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