Vikings signing DT Jerry Tillery to one-year deal worth up $3.75 million, per……
Vikings General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and Head Coach Kevin O’Connell spoke with media members Thursday from Twin Cities Orthopedics Performance Center before introducing five new Vikings. Both also addressed the bittersweet moments.
“You know, these decisions are never easy. Saying goodbye to Danielle Hunter is not easy,” Adofo-Mensah said. “Danielle Hunter has been a great member of this organization for a long time. I’m glad we found solutions so he could be a Viking for these past two years and watch him resume his status as one of the league’s premier rushers. Saying goodbye to Jordan Hicks is not easy – as someone who embodies everything that it takes to be a Minnesota Viking.
“You know, there’s always change in sports teams. One of my best friends texted me last night: ‘There’s no sports team ever that’s been the same one year to the next,’ ” Adofo-Mensah continued. “Change doesn’t mean that the memories that you’ve made, the relationships that you have, all that stuff wasn’t real and meaningful. Change oftentimes just means opportunity. Opportunity for people to thrive in new roles.”
He and O’Connell both emphasized their positive feelings toward Cousins.
“I’ll forever be grateful for my time that I had with him,” said O’Connell, whose relationship with Cousins dates back to 2017 in Washington. “But at the same time, this is an exciting time of year as we start building our team for 2024.”
In regard to moving on from Cousins, Adofo-Mensah and O’Connell were asked if there had been any disparity between them, or with the Wilf Family Ownership group, on the ultimate decision.
O’Connell noted “complete alignment” leading into conversations with Cousins’ camp and on the back end.
“Everybody knows how myself, Kwesi, this organization feels about Kirk and, you know, sometimes things just don’t work out,” O’Connell said. “And I think the most important thing is that alignment and the understanding that our plan is in place, you know, crazy to use the word contingency plans, but those are all discussions and paths and avenues we can take out a very, very important position, no doubt but in the end, you know, as much as I would have maybe like to have courage to do the right thing, moving forward
