Adofo-Mensah spent most of Tuesday getting to know everyone at TCO Performance Center and remains in the Twin Cities on Tuesday night, according to Chris Tomasson (Pioneer Press). But there’s no deal yet and the night is dangerously close to expiring.

Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, leading candidate for #Vikings general manager, remains in the Twin Cities, and we all continue to wait to see how things unfold.

— Chris Tomasson (@christomasson) January 26, 2022

What’s the holdup?

Insiders who cover the Minnesota Vikings still expect Adofo-Mensah to be named as the team’s next general manager eventually. But the longer this process drags out, the more suspicious the eventual outcome gets. With Poles out of the equation, what could be holding things up?

If you really want to play reporter, you can analyze this video posted to Twitter by Dawn Mitchell (FOX9) of Adofo-Mensah leaving TCO on Tuesday evening. At the very beginning of the recording, you can clearly hear someone telling Adofo-Mensah, “I’ll cancel your flight…”.

And Kwesi has left the building… we will have more in the #Vikings GM search live from TCO at 6 on @FOX9 pic.twitter.com/blqBYqf4Yk

— Dawn Mitchell (@DawnAtFOX9) January 25, 2022

This post will be updated if anything else unfolds into Wednesday morning.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

Teamwork Makes the Dream Work

After some alarming statements from key players, following Spielman and Zimmer’s firings, Mark Wilf sat down with media and laid out their planned process for hiring their next head coach and general manager. Their Owner/President made it very clear in that press conference that the Vikings wanted to go full Timberwolves/Twins on their front office with this hire.

They were looking for a young, smart and on-the-rise general manager who can fill a corporate buzzword bingo card whenever he sees a microphone. In that way, both Adofo-Mensah and Poles fit the bill perfectly.

VP of football ops Kwesi Adofo-Mensah will bring the knowledge that he’s gained as a former commodities trader into his role as an executive with the #Browns https://t.co/G4NKRnT4ay pic.twitter.com/w5Ey9MTwRn

— 92.3 The Fan (@923TheFan) June 11, 2020

Ryan Poles (Chiefs Executive Director of Player Personnel) on the importance of working with hand in hand with the coaching staff.

Giants have requested to interview him. pic.twitter.com/HqTYvDheBA

— Talkin’ Giants (@TalkinGiants) January 10, 2022

Similarities End After “Collaboration” Synonyms

What makes these two finalists so intriguing, however, is what makes them different. Ryan Poles is a football guy. He played offensive line at Boston College, where he blocked for Matt Ryan in the mid-2000’s. After that, Poles jumped right into football scouting. First for his alma-mater then for the Chiefs, where he’s spent the last 13 years climbing their front office ladder.

When Ryan Poles was enrolling at Boston College, Kwesi Adolfo-Mensah was finishing his degree and basketball career at Princeton. After graduating in 2003, he began his professional life as a Wall Street trader and portfolio manager. It wasn’t until graduating with a Master’s degree in economics (Stanford – 2013) 10 years later that Adofo-Mensah made a career change.

That’s when he got a job with the 49ers where he quickly worked his way up their front office ladder. By 2017 Kwesi was promoted to Director of Football Research and Development. Then, the Browns tapped him to be their VP of Football Operations before the 2020 season.

Football Guy vs Analytics Guy

This isn’t your classic old school vs new school dual. There’s no crusty old “ball guy” trying to kick nerds off his front porch. But still, the contrasts in experience and style that they’d bring to the Minnesota Vikings are clear.

In one hand you have Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, an analytics whiz who found his football calling later in his career. Hiring him would mean jumping head first into a numbers-first approach, something that’s become somewhat of his calling card in QB evaluation.

But in the other hand, there’s Ryan Poles, who might give the Minnesota Vikings the best of both worlds. Poles reportedly killed his first interview with the Vikings, which shouldn’t have been a surprise because he did the same thing last year in Carolina, when he made the lists of finalists for their GM opening at the ripe age of 35.

Because of that, I’d have to make Ryan Poles the heavy favorite to win the job next week. We know the Wilfs want to make sweeping changes in the way they operate their football team. But Kwesi Adofo-Mensah represents the type of risk that this ownership group seems unlikely to take.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

According to Courtney Cronin (ESPN), the Vikings interview team, which is headed by Chief Operating Officer, Andrew Miller and includes Rob Brzezinski, will interview a candidate pool that started at approximately 40 candidates. The Wilfs wanted to “cast a wide net” and they certainly have. But the finalists, so far, have one thing in common. They’re young and diverse.

Here are the seven finalists, so far. More interview requests are expected to be sent out over the next week.

Couple notes on Vikings GM search:
-An internal committee is being formed, led by COO Andrew Miller that will be part of interview process. Committee contains handful of EVPs across business/football sides, including Rob Brzezinski, both co-directors of player personnel advising

— Courtney Cronin (@CourtneyRCronin) January 13, 2022

Brandon Brown | Age: 33 | Eagles Director of Player Personnel

Brandon Brown has been in the NFL for 7 years, according to his LinkedIn profile. The last five of those seasons have been spent with the Philadelphia Eagles. Before that, he recruited and scouted at Boston College. He played four years of college football at Fordham University and then got his JD at Barry University Law School.

Brown is credited for much of the success that the Eagles have had in recent drafts but if he’s the guy who wanted Jalen Reagor over Justin Jefferson in 2019 then I’d have a lot of questions for him to answer.

• Indianapolis Colts (2015-2016)
  • 2015-2016: Scouting Assistant
  • 2016-2017: Scout
• Philadelphia Eagles (2017-Present)
  • 2017-2018: Assistant Director of Pro Scouting
  • 2018-2020: Director of Pro Scouting
  • 2020-2021: Director of Player Personnel

Catherine Raiche | Age: 32 | Eagles VP of Football Operations

As a female candidate, it was big news on Thursday morning when we found out Catherine Raiche was approached to interview for the open Vikings GM job. If hired, she would be the first and only woman hired at the position since 1983 when Susan Tose Spencer was hired by her father to GM the Philadelphia Eagles.

Raiche’s only been in the NFL for three years, working all of them with, coincidentally, the Eagles. Before coming to the big show, she cut her pro football front office teeth in the Canadian Football League. While there, she worked for two different teams (Montreal, Toronto) from 2015 to 2019. She even spent one season in the XFL with the Tampa Bay Vipers.

Catherine Reiche’s first career was as an attorney. She worked in business law from 2012-2015, before jumping into football.

• Montreal Alouettes – CFL (2015-2018)
  • 2015-2017: Coordinator of Football Administration
  • 2017: Assistant General Manager
• Toronto Argonauts -CFL (2018-2019)
  • 2018-2019: Director of Football Administration
• Tampa Bay Vipers – XFL (2019)
  • 2019: Front Office
• Philadelphia Eagles (2019-Present)
  • 2019-2021: Football Operations Coordinator
  • 2021: Vice President of Football Operations

Ryan Poles | Age: 36 | Chiefs director of player personnel

If the Minnesota Vikings want to hire a youngster who’s loyal, Ryan Poles is probably their pick. He has some of the most experience out of all the candidates named so far and he’s spent all 13 of his NFL seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs.

Hired as a scouting assistant in 2009, Ryan Poles spent the next decade-plus climbing up the Chiefs’ front office ladder, holding positions all throughout their scouting department on his way up.

Poles became more well known as a possible GM candidate when he interviewed with the Panthers last offseason and reportedly “stunned” them, eventually ending as one of their finalists.

• Kansas City Chiefs (2009-Present)
  • 2009-2010: Scouting Assistant
  • 2010-2016: College Scouting Coordinator
  • 2012-2018: Director of College Scouting
  • 2018-2021: Assistant Director of Player Personnel
  • 2021: Executive Director of Player Personnel

John Spytek | Age: 42 | Bucs VP of Player Personnel

Spytek is one of the more experienced candidates that the Vikings have set up interviews with. An 18-year NFL front office veteran, John has held positions with the Broncos, Browns, Eagles and Lions.

His bio on the Bucs website says he has worked with top league executives including John Elway, Andy Reid, Mike Holmgren, Tom Heckert, John Harbaugh & Gary Kubiak.

Spytek is credited, in-part, for reeling in Tom Brady (Operation Shoeless Joe Jackson), drafting guys like Antoine Winfield Jr (Who Rick Spielman passed up) and then keeping all 22 starters on roster after the Bucs’ 2020-21 Super Bowl victory.

• Detroit Lions (2004-2005)
  • 2004-2005: Operations Intern
• Philadelphia Eagles (2005-2010)
  • 2005-2006: Scouting Intern
  • 2006-2010: Assistant College/Pro Scout
• Cleveland Browns (2010-2012)
  • 2010-2012: Director of College Scouting
• Denver Broncos (2012-2016)
  • 2012-2013: Southwest Area Pro Scout
  • 2013-2015: National Pro Scout
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2016-Present)
  • 2020-2021: Vice President of Player Personnel

Glenn Cook | Age: 37 | Browns VP of Player Personnel

Glenn Cook is one of two Cleveland Browns front office executives the Minnesota Vikings will interview for their general manager position. He played four years of college football at Miami (FL) where he started 17 total games.

He never played pro football but did play a short stint of minor league baseball, after being drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the 46th round of the 2009 MLB Draft. In 2012, he took a job with the Green Bay Packers, where he cut his teeth in their pro personnel department. He then joined the Browns in 2016 as assistant director of pro scouting and was promoted to vice president of player personnel in 2020.

• Indianapolis Colts (2011-2012)
  • 2011-2012: Scouting Assistant
• Green Bay Packers (2012-2016)
  • 2012-2015: Assistant Pro Scout
  • 2015-2016: Pro Scout
• Cleveland Browns (2016-Present)
  • 2016-2020: Assistant Director of Pro Scouting
  • 2020-2021: Vice President of Player Personnel

Kwesi Adofo-Mensah | Age: 40 | Browns VP of Football Operations

The other Browns executive set to interview is Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, who earned his undergraduate degree from Princeton (where he played basketball) in 2003. His first dive into the professional workspace was on Wall Street where he was a trader and portfolio manager. He earned his master’s degree in economics in 2013 from Stanford.

After leaving Stanford, he got a job with the San Francisco 49ers. From 2017-2020, he served as their director of football research and development, before being hired by the Browns as vice president of football operations.

Adofo-Mensah is partly known for his analytics approach to scouting quarterbacks. He gave a presentation at a GM and QB Coaching Summit last summer on how he works analytics into his scouting. Both the Chicago Bears and Carolina Panthers have requested interviews with Kwesi.

• San Francisco 49ers (2013-2020)
  • 2017-2020: Director of Football Research and Development
• Cleveland Browns (2020-Present)
  • 2020-2021: Vice President of Football Operations

Eliot Wolf | Age: 40 | Patriots Front Office Consultant

Wolf is one of the more experienced front office executive currently on the Vikings interview list. He’s been in the NFL since 2004, when he joined the league with the Packers as a “Pro Personnel Assistant”. Green Bay would be his home for the next 14 seasons, as he methodically climbed his way up their football operations ladder.

After spending all of those years with the Packers, Wolf was passed up for an outside hire (Brian Gutekundst) when Green Bay replaced GM Ted Thompson in 2017.

After one year with the Browns as their Assistant General Manager, the organization made sweeping organizational changes which eventually landed Wolf in New England. He’s served as a “Front Office Consultant” to Bill Belichick in the two seasons since.

• Green Bay Packers (2004-2017)
  • 2004-2008: Pro Personnel Assistant
  • 2008-2011: Assistant Director of Pro Personnel
  • 2011-2012: Assistant Director of Player Personnel
  • 2012-2015: Director of Pro Personnel
  • 2015-2016: Director of Player Personnel
  • 2016-2017: Director of Football Operations
• Cleveland Browns (2018-2019)
  • 2018-2019: Assistant General Manager
• New England Patriots (2020-Present)
  • 2020-21: Front Office Consultant

Big Changes

With these first six interviews, it’s clear that the Minnesota Vikings are looking to make a statement with their hire for General Manager. Three of the six candidates are black and one is a woman. Darren Wolfson (KSTP, SKOR North) has reiterated multiple times over the last month or so that skin color is an important factor to what the Wilfs are looking for.

White, black, brown, purple, blue, pink, yellow, rainbow, boy, girl or otherwise, I just want someone who’s going to help Vikings Nation taste that Super Bowl champagne.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

The Wilfs plan to move “deliberately”, “methodically”, “thoroughly” and “thoughtfully” (just some of the words Mark used) in hiring their next GM and then head coach, in that order.

"Both searches are starting right away, but the GM is going to be our first selection and then the GM will have input in the head coach." – #Vikings Owner/President Mark Wilf pic.twitter.com/aeqPJjEnN2

— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) January 10, 2022

#Vikings president Mark Wilf says they don't do things in a "knee-jerk fashion" and have been evaluating things. Said they were extremely disappointed in the football results this season.

— Chris Tomasson (@christomasson) January 10, 2022

#Vikings president Mark Wilf on hiring a GM first and perhaps not being able to get a hot coaching candidate: "We don't try to look at who's hot and who's cold." He said the candidate will have to meet their criteria and the search will be "deliberate."

— Chris Tomasson (@christomasson) January 10, 2022

Before the Vikings hire a new head coach, they will hire a new general manager, though both searches have started. Then, they’ll figure out what to do with Kirk Cousins and his $45 million cap hit next season. That way, their new GM can help hire an HC. Then, both can work together on what to do with Kirk. Mark said today that the Wilfs plan to “cast a wide net” in their search for a new GM. So by definition, that means they’d likely miss out on the first flurry of coaching hires.

Slow and steady wins the race

That might not be a negative. In many cases, the early run of hires end up being more hype than substance. Not only that, but waiting could give Minnesota Vikings’ brass time to look at candidates from more successful teams. Organizations were allowed to interview new coaching candidates two weeks ago, meaning teams like the Raiders and Jaguars, who started their searches then, could be closer to making a decision.

Inquiring teams can ask for permission to interview coaches whose seasons aren’t over but they won’t be able to complete the hiring process before then. With a month left before the playoffs are over, that eliminates much of the soon to be available talent pool.

Talked to a rep for a notable coordinator on playoff team Said coaches on teams who last long in playoffs could be hurt more now due to rule changes on when they can talk about jobs But said if #Vikings take time in search could get such a coach that other teams might not wait on

— Chris Tomasson (@christomasson) January 10, 2022

The Wilf family prides itself on being aggressive in their business dealings, but not knee-jerk. And Mark made it very clear on Monday that they’ll act the same way in their search for new Minnesota Vikings leadership. I expect to hear a bevvy of names who are tapped to interview for both openings over the next month but I wouldn’t be surprised if neither role is filled before Super Bowl Sunday, February 13.

Here is the full Mark Wilf interview.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

BREAKING: #mnwild have finally found a high-scoring right-shot forward

Sources say #penguins asst GM Bill Guerin will be named the fourth full-time GM in Wild history

STORY>https://t.co/FEIB7biDNk

Bill Guerin isn’t the guy with a bunch of experience in the NHL front offices like many thought they Wild would bring in as their new GM but he does bring a couple of things the Wild were looking for.

First (and foremost), he is a people motivator, unlike Paul Fenton. If you read Russo’s story on his departure or heard it second-hand everywhere else, Paul Fenton was a cancer in his own organization and it spread quickly throughout the rest of the organization, to a point where Craig Leipold was clearly worried about ruining the organizational reputation he had built for 2 decades.

It doesn’t appear that will be a problem anymore. All signals point to Guerin being a guy that all employees and members of the Minnesota Wild organization will be able to rally around.

Second, he played the game. When I read and heard Michael Russo talk about the GM search, he mentioned multiple times that the Wild had their eye out for someone who had played the game and could see the game from the eyes of a player. Lue Nanne said that was one thing he was looking for too, in an interview I heard with him on KFAN. They definitely got that in Guerin, who has played for a long time and won a lot of games.

Bill will have to get to work right away because the Wild have been sitting on their hands since moving on from Fenton and the roster, according to Russo, is all fucked up (not his words) with players who are either playing out of position or playing on lines they shouldn’t be.

This won’t be an easy job for Guerin but if he can turn it around and put the Wild back into the playoffs… he’ll quickly find that Minnesota hockey fans are as loyal as they come, and addicted to winning games.

Oh, and if you win a title here, you get a statue built immediately. Just another perk.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan