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Look for Vikings to Extend GM’s Contract Soon

Posted on March 11, 2025March 11, 2025 by David Shama

The Vikings hired general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah in January of 2022, giving him a four-year contract. Kevin O’Connell was hired as head coach in February of that year, also on a four-year deal.

Almost two months ago the Vikings announced a multi-year extension for O’Connell, but nothing has apparently been finalized regarding an extension for the GM whose original contract will end after next season.

What’s going on?

A former executive with NFL teams, who spoke to Sports Headliners on condition of anonymity, said there was “urgency” to get an extension done with O’Connell. He said players and staff become “nervous” when a head coach goes into his final season with uncertainty. The general manager’s staff is much smaller.

“No, I think he’s going to get extended,” the source said. “Certainly, before the draft, I think.”

The NFL Draft is April 24-26. The authority quoted here disagrees with speculation ownership and chief operating officer Andrew Miller may be waiting on a new Adofo-Mensah deal to see how the 2025 draft and free agency signings materialize.

Adofo-Mensah’s initial draft in 2022 was a flop but in fairness he had only a few months to prepare. Draft results since then have been better, and free agent signings and trades are impressive.

O’Connell, who was named AP NFL Coach of the Year in February, has won 34 games in the last three regular seasons, with free agent signings playing a major role in the success. That group includes: Blake Cashman, Sam Darnold, Jonathan Greenard, Stephon Gilmore, Shaquill Griffin, Aaron Jones, Byron Murphy Jr., Harrison Phillips, and Andrew Van Ginkel.

A majority of those players signed during the offseason in 2024 and were key contributors to a 14-3 team that was a Super Bowl contender. The source described the work in signing them as “fantastic.”

Kwesi Adofo-Mensah image courtesy of Minnesota Vikings

He also praised trades during the Adofo-Mensah era. Acquisitions include one of the NFL’s best tight ends in T.J. Hockenson, plus offensive tackle Cam Robinson and running back Cam Akers.

“And I am sure they’re happy with the way he navigated the Cousins deal to get them out from under that deal. Especially the way it turned out for Atlanta.”

Rather than become salary cap strapped with a $100 million-plus contract for an aging quarterback, the Vikings chose not to do an expensive multi-year deal with Kirk Cousins. Instead, they replaced him with Darnold who for much of 2024 was among the better quarterbacks in the NFL.

In recent days the Vikings reportedly are off to a head turning start in free agent signings of players who can help them in 2025. Included are defensive tackle Jonathan Allen, guard Will Fries, center Ryan Kelly and cornerback Isaiah Rodgers.

It’s evident Adofo-Mensah is deserving of an extension which could be for three or four more years. His original deal was for four years and $12 million, per NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe and Ian Rapoport in 2022.

Worth Noting

The NFL source referenced above believes this is a deep draft, with high quality players to be found going into the second round. Among Minnesota priorities after the first round could be a running back with speed and shiftiness to complement 30-year-old Aaron Jones who the Vikings just re-signed. He had a career high rushing attempts of 255 last season, but the NFL authority said his workload was too extensive.

“I think Aaron played a little too much this year, and at the end he kind of fell off. Compared with how Green Bay used him in the past he really was more of a split time guy and then he was great in the playoffs two years ago for them. …He just didn’t look the same at the end of the year (for Vikings) as he did earlier.”

Saturday’s column on Gopher men’s basketball prompted many comments from readers with the majority favoring a new head coach. One reader suggested Ben McCollum, now in his first season at Drake after winning four Division II national championships at Northwest Missouri State.

Vikings’ linebacker Blake Cashman will join his former Gopher and Eden Prairie teammate Carter Coughlin, now a linebacker with the New York Giants, in speaking to the Twin Cities Dunkers on March 19 at Interlachen Country Club.

March 28 Cashman will participate in a Q & A at the Minnesota Football Coaches Association Clinic at the DoubleTree Park Place in St. Louis Park. Gopher head coach P.J. Fleck also speaks to clinic attendees on that date. https://www.mnfootballcoaches.com/page/show/2279758-mfca-clinic-information

That Friday there will be a free noon reception at the DoubleTree for retired football coaches. Committee chair Dan Essler is seeking contact information for retired coaches to send invitations. His email is esslerd@nls.k12.mn.us

Jess Graba and Alison Lim, coaches for St. Paul’s two-time Olympic Gold Medalist Suni Lee, will headline the Capital Club breakfast meeting this Thursday at Mendakota Country Club. Minnesota Sports & Events CEO Wendy Blackshaw, who was responsible for bringing the 2024 US Olympic Gymnastics Trials to Minneapolis, will moderate the discussion.

Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve will speak to the club on March 19. Also, the franchise’s president of basketball operations, Reeve has won four WNBA Championships with the Lynx. More information about the Capital Club is available from Patrick Klinger, patrick@agilemarketingco.com.

Comments Welcome

What to Know about Golden Gophers Men’s Basketball Job

Posted on March 8, 2025March 8, 2025 by David Shama

Next week Mark Coyle is likely to make news about the University of Minnesota basketball program. The athletic director could announce the dismissal of men’s head coach Ben Johnson, or make it clear the Minneapolis native will return for a fifth season leading his alma mater.

Either action will make headlines and depending upon your view of the program be polarizing.

A source with knowledge inside the Athletic Department indicated it’s not known which direction Coyle will proceed. Other valued sources aren’t predicting an outcome either, but if pressed believe Coyle will give Johnson another year.

Their view is that 2025 is already a tumultuous time for the department as power four schools anticipate revenue sharing for the first time with athletes. The U is expected to allocate at least $20 million this year to athletes in football, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s hockey and volleyball.

The budget for the 22-sports at the U will be challenging for the self-supporting Athletic Department. To buy out the contracts of Johnson and staff likely totals in the range of $5 million. Then add a similar total for a new staff, plus a possible substantial contract buyout for the new coach’s old school, and it’s clear any change will be significantly more costly than status quo with the men’s basketball program. (Of course, immediate success by a new coach could change the budget with a jump in revenues).

Johnson has struggled to attract Name, Image and Likeness money for his players. If the U had north of $1 million in NIL money this past season, other power programs had totals dwarfing that figure.

With revenue sharing in line with what other Big Ten schools are expected to pay players, the pay-for-play gap narrows for the Gophers next season. Coyle may believe it’s fair to give the likeable Johnson another season because of revenue sharing.

It would be naïve, though, to believe Johnson isn’t under scrutiny by superiors. Deputy athletics director Julie Manning was seated at court side, for example, at the March 1, road game against Nebraska in Lincoln. Her roles at the U include supervising men’s basketball.

Coyle has been the school’s AD since 2016. He is known for his patience and support for coaches, but Johnson’s four-year resume is concerning. The Gophers have two last place regular season finishes during his leadership. They’ve never produced a winning conference record or qualified for the NCAA Tournament and have one appearance in the NIT. Sunday they play their final regular season game on the bubble of whether they will be one of the 15 teams in the 18-member conference who qualify for next week’s Big Ten Tournament.

Minnesota is 7-12 in league games this year, 15-15 overall. Donor support and Fan apathy is apparent.

Johnson’s on-court results have held back donor enthusiasm for NIL which could be even more difficult to generate going forward than in the past if he returns as head coach. Although he has generated sympathy from the media for not having enough NIL money, he is the program leader and someone who previous to the Minnesota job had no head coaching experience and brand recognition to impress donors and the general public.

Regarding attendance at games, the Gophers drew a home sellout crowd last Wednesday for the first time since 2020. Public season ticket totals have been declining for years. As recently as 2019-2020 season tickets totaled 6,820. Next fall that total could be under 4,000.

As a revenue generator men’s basketball is overwhelmingly underperforming. With ticket sales and other revenue streams, the program should be carrying much more of the financial load for the Athletic Department and Coyle knows that better than anyone.

The guess here is Coyle will make a change after making a deliberate and objective evaluation of the program. He could decide he needs more from a program that has good citizens, improved academics and complies with department and NCCA policy. A new start and renewed enthusiasm could certainly be on his mind.

It’s a red flag that the Gophers can be so much more successful in football than in basketball. Head coach P.J. Fleck has succeeded in a sport demanding five times the number of players, and he’s done it in a state where the quality of high school basketball is significantly better in talent than in football.

Basketball is a sport that can see a team’s fortunes change within a year or two, and sometimes overnight, with the right influx of players, coaching, timing—and let’s be honest—luck. After multiple failed hires this millennium, the prerequisite at Minnesota is to find the right fit to lead the program.

The assignment doesn’t necessarily have to command a marquee hire. A few miles from Dinkytown John Tauer, believed to be earning a salary less than $600,000 per season, has been turning heads for years as the St. Thomas head coach.

Tauer won a Division III national title in 2016. For four seasons he has led an ultra-successful transition into Division I with his mid-majors program in the Summit League. This season the Tommies are 12-4 in conference regular season games and 23-9 overall. Think Tauer, with a foundation built on former Minnesota prep players, could win at Minnesota?

Yup.

No one is predicting Tauer, whose roots are deep at St. Thomas, would take the Minnesota job if offered but if he did the expectation would be for him to run a savvy program like the Wisconsin Badgers have done for decades. Wisconsin turned around its basketball program in the 1990s with low profile coaching talent starting with Dick Bennett. Then Bo Ryan and Greg Gard overachieved this millennium with Final Fours, Big Ten titles and national rankings.

The Wisconsin way succeeds without blue-blood players The Badgers are no pipeline to the NBA. But they do have a pipeline to Minnesota preps, for decades featuring talent from the Gopher state. The current roster has five Minnesota natives and five Wisconsin natives.

The Badger program, built around fundamentals and unselfish attitude, is a case study in hard-ass defense, exploiting the weaknesses of opponents and minimizing mistakes including turnovers. At 13-6 in Big Ten games and 23-7 overall, the Badgers are again a force to be reckoned with.

Last Wednesday night’s game with the Gophers was a microcosm of what works for Wisconsin and doesn’t for Minnesota. The Gophers lost their ninth consecutive game in their border rivalry series.

They saw how the Badgers run out of bounds plays contributing to points in a tight game that was tied in the second half. They saw how the Badgers drained three-point shots and balanced that offense with drives to the baskets for scores. They saw how repeatedly Badger defenders offered no path to the basket. And they saw how the decades old Wisconsin winning philosophy includes fundamentals as straight forward as making most of their free throws.

It was another game where all the little things added up to the big thing: A 74-67 Wisconsin win. At places like Wisconsin, the sum is more valuable than the parts.

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Vikings Likely Know Answer on Key Sam Darnold Question

Posted on February 4, 2025February 4, 2025 by David Shama

Quarterback Sam Darnold resurrected his NFL career in his first season with the Vikings. The Sporting News and Professional Football Writers Association of America both named him league Comeback Player of the Year for his 2024 performance that included career highs in several passing categories.

Darnold led the Vikings to a 14-3 regular season record but wasn’t sharp in the two biggest games of the year. With the NFC No. 1 seed in the playoffs at stake, Darnold and the Vikings lost in their regular season finale to the Lions and then failed to win in Minnesota’s opening playoff game against the Rams. Darnold was a combined 43 of 81 passes in the two games and was sacked nine times by the Rams.

Head coach Kevin O’Connell and his staff convincingly showed the football world this fall their magic in creating elite quarterback play. The reality that Darnold struggled in his biggest games is mostly on him and his teammates, not the coaching staff.

What KOC and his helpers have likely decided by now is whether Darnold is a solid bet to be able to take the next potential step in his development—excelling in the biggest moments. Does he have the skills and mental makeup to lead the Vikings to the Super Bowl or at least the NFC title game in the near future?

The Vikings almost certainly have a good handle on what the ceiling is for the 27-year-old Darnold, a guy who for six pro seasons was a journeyman with other clubs.

Along with that comes the conundrum of whether J.J. McCarthy, the rookie last year who never saw the field because of his knee injury, is the better bet to take the franchise to championships. A 10-year-old knows building a Super Bowl contending team begins with a quarterback who is among the best in the NFL.

They have invested emotionally in McCarthy, the No. 10 draft choice in the first round in 2024. After McCarthy was hurt in the preseason, O’Connell referred to him as the “young franchise quarterback.”

If that is still KOC’s conviction, then the smart move is to franchise or transition tag Darnold for perhaps $40 million and trade him. There are at least a half dozen NFL teams looking for quarterbacks and the 2025 college draft is weak in QB prospects.

A trade could return player assets to the Vikings and allow the franchise to spend the $40 million upgrading talent at other positions and retaining their own free agents. Roster needs include the interior offensive and defensive lines and cornerback.

It could be a benefit that McCarthy missed his first year. He had the opportunity to learn the system while rehabbing from two knee procedures. He figures to be much more comfortable in the offense in 2025, if healthy.

If the Vikings let Darnold go and gamble on McCarthy, fingers will be crossed in Skol Country that the 22-year-old is ready in every way. If not, KOC will be looking for another bridge quarterback and trying to work his “magic” on a Darnold 2.0—e.g. Daniel Jones if he elects to stay with the team as a free agent starting next month.

Worth Noting

Daniel House, the college and pro football authority, told Sports Headliners defensive tackle is a deep and quality position in the April college draft. That could be good news for the Vikings who need help. Follow House on X @DanielHouseMN and on his Gophers and Vikings websites. https://gophersguru.com/ http://www.mnvikingscorner.com/

Running back is another position with quality and depth in the draft. Iowa’s Kaleb Johnson, who was troublesome to the Gophers and others in the Big Ten, could certainly be available to the Vikings at No. 24 in the first round or after Day 1. The Vikings need an explosive runner as a successor to 30-year-old Aaron Jones.

Minnesota Breakfast attendees in Naples, Florida heard from first-year University of Minnesota president Rebecca Cunningham last Friday. Minneapolis-based attorney and journalist Marshall Tanick reported via email Dr. Cunningham “primarily focused on health sciences and technology challenges the University faces. But she touched upon Gopher athletics, telling the group of Minnesota expatriates and seasonal visitors that she and athletic Director Mark Coyle are ‘committed to having a competitive Big Ten program.’” She also praised the record 3.4 GPA compiled by U athletes last semester.

The expectation is that the drawn-out arbitration process to determine majority ownership of the Timberwolves and Lynx will conclude any day now. If the Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez group wins the litigation with long-time owner Glen Taylor, they still must get no less than 75 percent approval from the NBA Board of Governors.

Based on NBAstore.com data through the first half of the NBA season the Warriors’ Steph Curry had the top selling jersey, while the Wolves’ Anthony Edwards ranked No. 6.

The Timberwolves, trying to establish favorable seeding for the Western Conference playoffs later this year, are in the midst of a five-game homestand. They will also have a five-game home schedule March 1-8. Both slates will be significant in determining the team’s final record.

After last night’s loss to the Kings at Target Center the Wolves are 0-2 on the homestand that began Saturday night in a loss to the lowly Wizards. Coming up are games with the Bulls, Rockets and Trail Blazers.

The Wolves, 27-23, are only 12-12 in home games, while their road record is 15-11.

The Wild, 31-18-4 is 20-6-3 on the road and inexplicably 11-12-1 at Xcel Energy Center.

The Wild, who played nine road games in January, have their longest home schedule with seven games March 9-22. The month has Minnesota playing nine games at the Xcel, the most in any month this season.

If there is a men’s basketball head coaching vacancy at Minnesota or Iowa in the near future, it would be preposterous for hiring authorities to not have John Tauer on the short list of candidates who interest them. A Division III national champion at St. Thomas, Tauer has superbly guided the Tommies to Division I competition, and his 2025 team is in first place in the Summit League with an 8-1 record (18-6 overall).

The NCAA Men’s Basketball Net Rankings have Iowa No. 64, Minnesota No. 101 and St. Thomas No. 103.

With a deadline of February 27, the U Athletic Department is offering new purchasers of football season tickets two complimentary tickets to both a men’s and women’s Gopher home basketball game.

A concerning trend has developed with the U football staff. Offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca left for Rutgers after the 2022 season and defensive coordinator Joe Rossi departed for Michigan State following 2023. Rossi’s replacement, Corey Hetherman, recently left for Miami and this week comes news that defensive line coach Winston DeLattiboudere is headed to the NFL Cardinals.

All left for more money, including Ciarrocca who reportedly has received an extension that will pay him $2 million in 2027. Head coach P.J. Fleck attracts quality assistants but it’s difficult to retain them when the salary pool for his staff is at or near the bottom of the 18-member Big Ten Conference.

DeLattiboudere, who becomes the Arizona defensive line coach, played with Cardinals defensive coordinator Nick Rallis, the Edina native, when the two were Gophers. Rallis was named defensive coordinator in 2023.

Perhaps the best clinic in the country for high school football coaches, the 2025 MFCA Clinic will be held March 27-29, with headquarters at the DoubleTree Park Place in St. Louis Park. Minnesota Football Coaches Association secretary-treasurer Jim Dotseth reported over 800 registrants so far. https://www.mnfootballcoaches.com/page/show/2279758-mfca-clinic-information

Almost 500 copies of The Book of Piv were sold on Amazon during a five-week period. The entertaining new book offers storytelling by Minneapolis native Jay Pivec, now retired but a well-traveled basketball coach who is in the NJCAA Coaches Association Hall of Fame.

Lily Hubanks, a senior from Madison, Wisconsin, and Amae-Kam Magruder, a sophomore from Anchorage, Alaska, are standouts for the St. Olaf women’s Nordic ski team. They recently represented the United States in the 2025 FISU Winter World University Games in Italy.

Hubanks and Magruder competed in five events as part of the four-member cross country teams for the U.S. It’s believed they are the first females from a Minnesota college to be on American teams in the Winter World University games.

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