Kwesi Adofo-Mensah's smart maneuvering in free agency has the Vikings set up for success in 2025 and beyond

Minnesota Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has done a great job with free agency. Through the first two weeks of free agency, the Vikings have been huge players on the market.

It started small with cornerback Isaiah Rodgers and finished off their first 24 hours with two interior offensive linemen and two pass rushing defensive tackles to fortify the trenches. They are loading up for a potential Super Bowl run with a great roster capable of being better than they were in 2024 with a 14-3 record.

Vikings 2026 compensatory pick update

The Vikings have done a great job maneuvering through free agency, but they've been especially considerate of the NFL Draft and getting compensatory picks.

Through the first two weeks of free agency, the Vikings have signed three qualifying free agents on the compensatory pick formula. The good news for the Vikings? They have lost five qualifying players.

Over The Cap does a great job keeping track of the formula in real time and it has the Vikings projected to receive two compensatory picks in 2026.

Minnesota Vikings Compensatory Pick FormulaOver The Cap

The compensatory formula is relatively simple in practice, but complicated in reality. A qualifying free agent is one that makes over a certain threshold (usually around $3.5-4 million) whose contract expired. If the player has years voided out on the deal (removed, not added void years).

The other factor is that the formula relies on both snaps played and awards. Over The Cap has a good breakdown of how they finalize the formula. 

• An inverse ranking of the contract's Average Per Year (APY)
• One point each for each percentage point of snaps played on offense or defense, with a minimum requirement of 25%. (Kickers and punters earn points based upon statistical performance.)
• 20 or 5 points based upon being honored by the AP All Pro or PFWA On Field Awards lists.

The top 91 players in this formula qualify for a third round pick. The 97th player on the list currently is Garrett Bolles with an average annual value of $20.5 million and played 76.5% of his snaps. One of the tough parts about the formula is that nothing is certain due to the snaps. The Vikings lost out on a third-round pick for losing Trae Waynes in 2020 because he missed the entire season with an injury. They received a fourth-round pick instead.

When you look at the Vikings' status when it comes to draft picks, having both a third and fourth-round pick projected is due to one major factor: Adofo-Mensah signing talented players who got cut.

Both Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave got cut by their perspective teams, meaning they don't qualify for the formula. Using that practice is something the Baltimore Ravens have done for years, which is why they have the most compensatory pick awarded in the history of the NFL with 60.

This is a good strategy to manipulate the market and the Vikings are finally taking advantage.