Kwesi Adofo-Mensah's shakeup of Minnesota Vikings quarterback room continues process of building for the future

Backup quarterback was a contentious spot for the Minnesota Vikings both going into the season and throughout all of training camp. Even after the final preseason game, there were still a lot of questions.

General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah made a trade earlier in the week to send defensive tackle Harrison Phillips to the New York Jets to acquire two sixth-round picks, while sending a seventh-round pick. Sunday morning saw Adofo-Mensah make another trade, sending quarterback Sam Howell and a 2026 sixth-round pick to the Philadelphia Eagles for a 2026 fifth-round pick and a 2027 seventh-round pick.

Kwesi Adofo-Mensah is building for the future

It's not always easy to trade players at the end of August around cutdown day, but the Vikings have done a good job of making it happen. The additions of multiple late round draft picks is a big win for multiple reasons, with the biggest being that the Vikings will have the ability to maneuver with other trades and also acquire talent in the NFL Draft.

The Vikings are sitting great right now when it comes to draft picks. They are currently projected to have 10 picks in the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft.

• 1st
• 2nd
• 3rd
• 3rd (projected compensatory pick for Sam Darnold)
• 4th (projected compensatory pick for Daniel Jones)
• 5th
• 5th (from Philadelphia Eagles)
• 5th (projected compensatory pick for Cam Robinson)
• 7th
• 7th (from Houston Texans)

The Vikings' fourth-round pick is going to the Jacksonville Jaguars to finish the Robinson trade, and the sixth-round pick went to the San Francisco 49ers for Jordan Mason. The good part about things like this is that they have more assets to continue maneuvering around with acquiring veterans and potentially moving up in the NFL Draft.

It could also be a way for the Vikings to make a trade for a wide receiver, possibly being Adam Thielen, which has been rumored starting at the end of last week. They can trade any pick that isn't a compensatory pick right now, and they also have eight draft picks in 2027 to move if they need to as well.

If they don't make a trade for a veteran, there will be ample picks for the Vikings to build out the back end of the roster. They are going to need young, inexpensive players to fill out the depth of the roster, and the easiest way to do so is with draft picks.

There are going to be plenty of opportunities for the Vikings to add players over the next week, and you best believe Adofo-Mensah is going to be all over it.