Welcome back Kirk Cousins. The Minnesota Vikings are bringing back their old starting QB after a disastrous performance by their quarterbacks so far in 2026.
Cousins, who was starting for the Las Vegas Raiders, will return to Minnesota in exchange for a 2027 3rd round draft choice per multiple reports on Tuesday, around 90 minutes prior to the NFL trade deadline. The Vikings owned multiple 3rd round picks in 2027.
The Vikings announced the move just prior to the 3:00 p.m. trade deadline, adding that the deal is pending Cousins passing a physical.
Cousins has had a bit of a career resurgence after struggling in Atlanta. Off to a strong start in 2026, Cousins has thrown for 2,340 yards, 20 touchdowns, with 8 interceptions and had the Raiders 4-5.
Former Viking linebacker and WCCO's "Inside the North" contributor Chad Greenway told the WCCO Morning News with Vineeta Sawkar Tuesday morning that Cousins was the perfect choice, if they were going to make a trade.
"With how this team is set up from the weapons and the defense and the special teams, Kirk would give us a very, very, very good chance to win a lot of football games down the stretch here because he's just efficient," Greenway says. "He puts the ball where it's gotta be. He's a great decision maker, and the biggest slight on him is just not winning the big games. Well, when you have a defense like we have and an offense that can get first downs, you give yourself a chance."
Combined, the Vikings three quarterbacks this year - Kyler Murray, Carson Wentz and Max Brosmer - have 1,437 yards, 8 touchdowns and 5 interceptions.
The Raiders rank 15th overall in the NFL in total offense with an average of 360.4 yards, and a top-five passing attack.
The Viking offense has been dreadful, as was evident on Monday Night Football against Buffalo, and really left the team's front office no choice, forced to seek out an upgrade under center.
The Vikings offense ranks 31st (out of 32 teams) in yardage, and are also 31st in passing at 160 yards per game. Minnesota has only scored 11 touchdowns all season.
Despite that, and mostly thanks to a dominating defense, the Vikings are 6-2 but coming off back-to-back losses to the Bills and Lions in an extremely competitive NFC North.
On the financial side of things, the Vikings take on Cousins' minimum base salary for the rest of the year, and a $10 million fully-guaranteed roster bonus in March. After that, there's a two-year, $80 million option which is probably unlikely given Cousins turns 39-years-old in August. Cousins is also getting paid by three teams in 2026.
The Vikings are in Green Bay on Sunday, which ironically is the last place Cousins started in a Viking uniform in 2023 when he tore his Achilles. He signed a free agent deal with the Falcons in the offseason.
