Here’s what the Vikings owners say about new GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah

The Vikings announced his hiring on Wednesday night.

After days of speculation, the Minnesota Vikings officially announced the hiring of new general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah on Wednesday night. 

"We are thrilled to welcome Kwesi to the Minnesota Vikings," Owner/President Mark Wilf said in a statement. "His unique background, variety of experiences, vision for success and leadership presence immediately stood out to us. Kwesi is naturally committed and driven to building the best teams through consensus building and the pursuit of information. We believe he will immediately make us better as a team and organization."

Adofo-Mensah comes to Minnesota after spending the past two seasons as the vice president of football operations for the Cleveland Browns. With his previous seven years coming as the San Francisco 49ers' director of research and development, he brings an analytical background as the successor to Rick Spielman.

"Kwesi has a clear philosophy on building a complementary football team," Owner/Chairman Zygi Wilf added. "His intelligence, progressive mindset and passion for the game along with his ability to make thoughtful and intentional decisions provide a tremendous foundation as he leads our football operations."

Adofo-Mensah walks into a franchise that is beginning a major overhaul. Entering the offseason $12 million over the salary cap, Adofo-Mensah will have several decisions to make including the hiring of the next head coach to replace Mike Zimmer.

"I am extremely thankful to the Wilf family and the Vikings organization for giving me the opportunity to lead our football operations and join this respected franchise," Adofo-Mensah said. "There is so much to appreciate about this organization - an existing nucleus of talent on the roster, top-notch facilities, passionate fans and smart people throughout the building who are committed to winning.

"I look forward to partnering with our next head coach and our entire football operations staff to begin our work of bringing a Super Bowl to Vikings fans."