Browns will receive two third-round picks as Vikings hire Kwesi Adofo-Mensah as GM

Andrew Berry adds a few more weapons to his treasure chest.

On Wednesday, the Minnesota Vikings hired Kwesi Adofo-Mensah as their new general manager.

Adofo-Mensah was hired by GM Andrew Berry back in May 2020 to essentially serve as his assistant GM, although his title was VP of Football Operations. It was at the same time that Ryan Grigson was brought on board to the Browns’ personnel department.

We’ve heard so much about the trio of Kevin Stefanski, Paul DePodesta, and Berry over the past two years that I really didn’t know much about Adofo-Mensah. However, he was obviously well-liked in the NFL circle, as a lot of praise is coming out about him, including someone who said this about him: “[He] is a brilliant, well-rounded leader with a great sense of humor and fantastic people skills. He’s a natural collaborator who will build a culture of inclusivity and bring out the best of every perspective in terms of decision-making.”

Even though losing Adofo-Mensah is a loss for the Browns organization, the team does receive compensation thanks to the NFL’s policy on Equal Employment and Workplace Diversity. That policy states that if a minority coach or executive becomes a head coach or GM with another team after being employed for two full seasons, then the organization he came from will receive third-round compensatory picks for two consecutive years. Those picks will be for the 2022 and 2023 NFL Drafts — more tools for Berry to improve the roster after a relatively disappointing season.

In semi-related news, some fans have tried to play the “what-if” game, speculating that because Berry and Adodo-Mensah were close, and now there is a direct link to the Vikings organization, a trade for QB Kirk Cousins could be of greater interest.