Given that he has economics degrees from both Princeton and Stanford, Vikings General Manger Kwesi Adofo-Mensah is quite possibly the NFL decisionmaker least likely to fall into the common trap of a sunk cost fallacy.
Roster cuts make it clear: Vikings are a team in transition
The new regime has a new approach. More importantly, they aren't beholden to mistakes made in the past.
August 31, 2022 at 4:35PM
In behavioral economics, it is described as "our tendency to follow through on an endeavor if we have already invested time, effort, or money into it, whether or not the current costs outweigh the benefits."
NFL GMs have provided countless examples of exhibiting this behavior over the years. Adofo-Mensah's predecessor, Rick Spielman, seemed particularly prone to it when it came to making roster decisions on existing players.
Draft picks were given more chances than deserved. Veterans were retained one contract too long. In the end, a top-heavy but depth-light roster doomed the Vikings in 2020 and 2021 and ultimately cost Spielman and head coach Mike Zimmer their jobs.
As Ben Goessling chronicled very well and I discussed on Wednesday's Daily Delivery podcast, Tuesday's roster cuts showed the shortcomings of recent Spielman drafts — in particular the 2021 effort.
Adofo-Mensah and the rest of the Vikings' decisionmakers cut six of the 11 players chosen in Spielman's final draft, including third-round picks Kellen Mond, Chazz Surratt and Wyatt Davis.
Evidence supports those decisions. Mond's quarterback play has been uneven at best. Surratt hasn't developed, and Davis has been buried on the offensive line depth chart.
History suggests those players might have been given more time if the previous regime was still in charge.
Some of those players might still develop on the practice squad. But in making a clean break from the 53-man roster — and with two trades Tuesday — Adofo-Mensah is signaling that this is a roster in transition and that restoring depth will be both a priority and a process.
The trades: Dealing Jesse Davis, originally thought of as a contender for a starting guard spot, for a seventh-round pick; and trading for Texans defensive lineman Ross Blacklock while cutting presumed starter Armon Watts, perhaps a nod to Blacklock being a better fit in a 3-4 scheme.
The Vikings' best 10 players are as good as any other team's top 10. Their bottom 43, though, leave a lot to be desired — as evidenced by some ragged moments in an 0-3 preseason.
Rebuilding depth is a process, and it's unclear how fast it can be improved. But it's easier to get from here to there if you aren't wasting time continuing to invest in past mistakes.
When he was hired after the disastrous 2016 season to reshape the Twins, Derek Falvey brought a reputation for identifying and developing pitching talent. It took a while, but the pipeline we were promised is now materializing.
