49ers Hire Kwesi Adofo-Mensah In Personnel Role

“We’re bringing him back in a personnel executive role,” Lynch said (via ESPN’s Nick Wagoner), adding that an exact title would be determined after the draft.

Adofo-Mensah, 44, spent the last four years as Minnesota’s GM and was unexpectedly fired at the end of January, eight months after signing a multi-year contract extension. GMs do not get fired after 9-8 seasons, much less when their team went 34-17 in the three years prior. But the Vikings’ regression from their 14-win season led the team and a spotty draft record was enough to facilitate Adofo-Mensah’s ouster.

The former Wall Street trader’s lack of a traditional football background was a factor in his dismissal, but his reunion with the 49ers will bring him back to the first NFL team that took a chance on him. Adofo-Mensah arrived in San Francisco in 2013 under then-GM Trent Baalke as their manager of football development and research. Lynch promoted Adofo-Mensah to director of football development and research when he replaced Baalke in 2017.

Adofo-Mensah only worked with Lynch and new head coach Kyle Shanahan for three years before moving to Cleveland as the Browns’ vice president of football operations. Two years later, he was hired by the Vikings.

With their top-heavy salary cap, the 49ers will have need for Adofo-Mensah’s expertise in financial management over the next few years. They are currently working on an extension with Trent Williams, which would make their tight 2027 cap picture even tighter.

Adofo-Mensah’s success in Minnesota could keep him in conversations for open general manager positions in future years, but his poor history in the draft will be a black mark on his record that will be tough to ignore. Lynch, though, has been an excellent drafter and could mentor Adofo-Mensah as he searches for another GM opportunity.