Vikings G.M. Kwesi Adofo-Mensah is up next for an extension

One down, one to go.

With the Vikings extending the contract of coach Kevin O'Connell, the next man up for a new deal is General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah.

Via NFL Media, talks are underway to reach a new deal with the Adofo-Mensah.

The Vikings went first with O'Connell because time was of the essence. If the Vikings and O'Connell had reached an impasse, ownership would have had a decision to make — let O'Connell finish his contract and become a free agent who could leave without compensation or pursue a trade before the 2025 seats are filled.

And it's surprising, but also not surprising, that some regard the finalizing of a deal as evidence that there were no issues whatsoever between O'Connell and the Vikings.

As we've been saying, there were. Consider this excerpt from the article posted by Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com: "O'Connell was displeased after the 2023 season when owners Zygi and Mark Wilf opted against extending his contract, ESPN has reported, at a time when the franchise planned to start over at the quarterback position. Multiple teams were positioning themselves this month to make trade offers if the sides were not able to agree on an extension, as Fox Sports first reported and ESPN later confirmed, given the possibility that O'Connell could always choose to simply work through the expiration of his deal and become a coaching free agent in 2025."

That's why the Vikings moved quickly. That's why we wrote about the urgency to move quickly, and why we pointed out earlier today that, one week after their playoff run ended, there had been no news.

There now is. Contract reached. Crisis averted. Threat neutralized. Future secured between the Vikings and the man who could become the team's new Bud Grant, while also doing the one thing that eluded the Hall of Famer.