Vikings introduce new GM Adofo-Mensah

The Minnesota Vikings formally introduced Kwesi Adofo-Mensah as the team’s new general manager during a news conference Thursday morning.

Adofo-Mensah, joined by Vikings owner and President Mike Wilf at the team’s practice facility in Eagan, praised the ownership group, the team’s facilities and the franchise’s “passionate” fan base.

“I really do believe I was meant to be here [as] your general manager,” he said. “I think it was meant to be.”

RELATED: Vikings hire Adofo-Mensah as new GM

Adofo-Mensah, who is 40 years old and has spent nine years in the NFL, thanked his mentors from the Browns and 49ers, and he had special thank-yous for his late father and his “superhero” mother.

“She always had this phrase when something would go on in life, ‘All I can do is work.’ That’s what she would always tell me. ‘All I can do is work,'” he said. “So, when I see problems — and every time it gets a smile on my face when I think of my mom — that’s when I’m most comfortable.”

After meeting with the media, he went to meet with some players and jump into the search for a new head coach to replace Mike Zimmer.

“We know what we want to find,” Adofo-Mensah said. “We want leadership. We want someone who we know is going to rally the collective over the individual. We want somebody who’s got vision, who can communicate, who’s got a solid football foundation. Who understands how footballs are interconnected and what that means.”

So far the Vikings have interviewed eight candidates, but the pool was narrowed to seven once Packers offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett was reportedly hired to fill the Broncos’ head coach vacancy. Adofo-Mensah did not say Thursday if he had any additional candidates in mind and did not give a timeline for making the final decision.

NFL sources report Adofo-Mensah signed a four-year contract worth around $12 million.

You can watch the full news conference below.

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