Vikings leaders Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and Kevin O’Connell get reboot right in Year 3

The Vikings held a news conference Friday to introduce and welcome their top two draft picks. The moment also served as an unofficial unveiling of version 2.0 of the organization’s leadership.

The Vikings are now molded in Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s and Kevin O’Connell’s vision. This moment signals a fresh start, a reboot. The last vestiges of the previous regime have faded into the horizon like a setting sun.

Year 3 for the KAM-KOC tandem is set up to be a pivotal marker. Maybe not make-or-break, but the temperature was warming considerably on the two leaders to reveal a plan that inspires confidence in the direction.

Their plan has come into focus. It makes sense. It feels right.

The duo just drafted a quarterback in the top 10 and reconfigured the roster over the past two seasons to position the Vikings to have $100 million in salary cap space next offseason.

That gives Adofo-Mensah and O’Connell more runway to build a championship contender. To steal a line from P.J. Fleck, this is no longer Year Zero.

Patience is relative in the NFL because the salary cap creates a razor-thin margin between success and failure. The Wilfs have never shown an inclination to be meddlesome owners prone to knee-jerk reactions. But they like to win and want to know that their team is competitive with peers.

Now that Kirk Cousins is gone and the salary cap situation cleaned up, the Vikings are no longer circling in a holding pattern. They can finally move forward with a new plan.

Adofo-Mensah’s “competitive rebuild” description took on a life of its own, but an organizational makeover was really the goal. They needed a new quarterback, a younger roster, better talent and more financial flexibility. All of that was never going to happen in two years.

Trading up to draft quarterback J.J. McCarthy with the 10th overall pick is an organizational commitment that starts at the very top. A move this significant is done with the understanding that patience is necessary with the hope of a big payoff in a few years.

McCarthy steps into a desirable environment as a rookie. He is surrounded by an accomplished group of skill players, led by the league’s best receiver, Justin Jefferson. He is being tutored by a head coach who played the position in the NFL and takes pride in maintaining a close connection with his quarterbacks. The two tackles protecting him are top notch.

McCarthy is not being asked to prop up dead weight. Nobody knows for sure what his ceiling will look like, but the circumstances at the beginning of his career give him a head start.

The financial flexibility that arrives in 2025 is a critical piece to the overall blueprint. The Vikings are projected to have $102 million in cap space, according to overthecap.com.

Contract extensions for Jefferson and left tackle Christian Darrisaw will eat into some of that pie, but Adofo-Mensah will be in position to make a splash on prime free agents.

Those who bemoan the loss of draft picks in trading up to grab McCarthy and edge rusher Dallas Turner overlook that point. Besides, teams should always value quality over quantity when drafting.

This is not to suggest that Adofo-Mensah or any GM should be reckless with draft assets in making deals. But knowing the Vikings have an abundance of cap space coming next offseason had to factor into Adofo-Mensah’s calculus in getting aggressive to trade up twice in the first round. He can fix holes in the roster or upgrade positions in free agency after the upcoming season. Not everything will hinge on the draft.

The timing of different factors coming together brings clarity after being in limbo. This feels like a new beginning, even though Adofo-Mensah and O’Connell are entering Year 3.

Their vision for their team is unmistakable now.