The Lesson Learned from Dalvin Cook, Kirk Cousins, Adam Thielen, Eric Kendricks, Anthony Barr, Patrick Peterson, Dalvin Tomlinson, Camryn Bynum, and Danielle Hunter (Among Others)

Hiring Kwesi Adofo-Mensah meant welcoming change. Go ahead and re-read the title for some examples.

Consider, as a single example, opting to move on from Dalvin Cook. The elegant, gliding runner had a productive season in 2022 within the Kevin O’Connell offense, turning 264 carries into 1,173 rushing yards and 8 touchdowns. Many runners would see these statistics as being excellent but the year wasn’t among Cook’s most dominant.

Seeing a cliff coming, the Vikings cut the runner to get out of his five-year $63 million contract early for precious cap savings. Doing so was a symptom of the franchise’s shifting priorities under new leadership.

Lessons Learned from Dalvin Cook (and Friends)

The point, as you may have guessed, is that welcoming a new GM means welcoming change. Being content with the status quo would have led to keeping the old boss, Mr. Adofo-Mensah.

So, keep that central, basic reality in mind: embracing change means embracing change.

Nolan Teasley is coming over from the Seattle Seahawks. He’s therefore coming out of a fantastic franchise that is miles ahead of the Vikings. Minnesota is hoping for some of the Seattle magic to get sprinkled onto the Vikings. Inevitably, there’s got to be some form of change to move toward that sunnier horizon.

It wasn’t that long ago, folks, that Dalvin Cook was a key part of the mix. Moreover, homegrown talents such as Eric Kendricks, Anthony Barr, Danielle Hunter, and several others were cornerstone talents for a strong era of Minnesota football.

The team then grafted free agents such as Patrick Peterson, Dalvin Tomlinson, and others onto the roster to try to keep the competitive window open. Oh, and that Kirk Cousins guy should be mentioned, as well.

None of these players are still in town; they were Vikings at the beginning of the Adofo-Mensah days but didn’t finish off the Adofo-Mensah days. They were all allowed/forced to leave at some point across the old GM’s four years.

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What’s of interest now is who will get similar treatment now that Mr. Teasley is calling the shots.

Part of his job description involves being able to build out an approach to being the Vikings’ GM that’s coherent with the strong leadership that’s already in place in Kevin O’Connell, Brian Flores, Matt Daniels, Rob Brzezinski, and others. These leaders value Justin Jefferson; Teasley is to do likewise.

But then there are the areas that demand change. Or, put differently, the areas that Teasley deems in need of change. Maybe that means not extending talents such as Brian O’Neill and Blake Cashman, great ball players who are moving into the final year of their deals. What about Ivan Pace Jr., T.J. Hockenson, Tai Felton, and/or Walter Rouse? Cuts or trades are possible.

Goodness, maybe even J.J. McCarthy could be tossed into the mix. Multiple NFL teams out there would be willing to trade for him if he doesn’t secure the top quarterback spot. Nolan Teasley doesn’t appear likely to accept a low-ball offer, but the new GM is somewhat of a mystery.

Nolan Teasley isn’t going to take his machete to the roster, cutting talent aplenty before the Week 1 game against the Packers. Rather, he’ll be using the precision of a surgeon’s scalpel, making precise cuts as he slowly begins shaping the roster into his own image.

At some point, though, the new GM is going to make decisions that end up being tough for fans to accept. A lot people didn’t like saying goodbye to Dalvin Cook and yet the old GM made the decision anyhow. When does Nolan Teasley arrive at similar decisions? Will it be before the 2026 season?

The Vikings need to shrink the roster down to 53 men by the end of August. Expect at least some surprise and maybe even a bit of pain before getting to that first iteration of the 2026 Minnesota Vikings.

Senior Editor for Vikings Territory & PurplePTSD . Twitter & Bluesky: @VikingsGazette. Email: k.joudry[at]vikingsterritory[dot]com. Canadian. Jude 1:24-25.