Inside the Vikings' move from Kirk Cousins to J.J. McCarthy

Copy Link

Email

Print

Reactions

EAGAN, Minn. -- They were two young football minds, looking for common ground to lead the Minnesota Vikings into a new era. Kwesi Adofo-Mensah was the new general manager, and Los Angeles Rams offensive coordinator Kevin O'Connell was a finalist for the Vikings' vacant head-coaching job.

It was the afternoon of Jan. 31, 2022, and members of the team's search committee -- owner/president Mark Wilf, chief operating officer Andrew Miller and executive vice president of football operations Rob Brzezinski, among others -- sat around a conference table in a Southern California hotel. They largely just listened as Adofo-Mensah and O'Connell talked for more than three…