Kirk Cousins returns to Minnesota in Raiders trade agreement
The Minnesota Vikings agreed to bring quarterback Kirk Cousins back from the Las Vegas Raiders, pending a physical examination. The American football team is sending a 2027 third-round draft pick. Cousins spent six seasons with Minnesota and knows coach Kevin O’Connell’s offense, as the Vikings contend with injuries and changes at quarterback.
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Cousins returns after six Minnesota seasons
The Minnesota Vikings, an American football team in the United States, agreed to acquire quarterback Kirk Cousins from the Las Vegas Raiders. The deal announced on Tuesday is pending a physical examination and sends a 2027 third-round draft pick to Las Vegas. Cousins returns to the team where he spent six seasons from 2018 to 2023, before leaving as a free agent for Atlanta in 2024.[1], [2]
Cousins, 38, spent two seasons with the Atlanta Falcons and joined the Raiders in April. There he played under Klint Kubiak, a former Minnesota quarterbacks coach. He started all nine Las Vegas games this season, with first overall draft selection Fernando Mendoza behind him. Cousins completed 202 of 315 passes for 2,340 yards, throwing 20 touchdown passes and 8 interceptions during that stretch.[1]
An offense and teammates he already knows
The four-time Pro Bowl selection previously worked with Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell in 2022 and 2023. Cousins started all 25 regular-season games in which he appeared under O’Connell during those two seasons. He passed for 6,878 yards and 47 touchdowns, with 19 interceptions. His final Minnesota season ended early when he tore his Achilles tendon in Green Bay in 2023.[1]
That previous spell gives him familiarity with O’Connell’s offense and working relationships with several current players. Receivers Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, tight end T.J. Hockenson and members of the offensive line were teammates during his earlier time in Minnesota. The Vikings’ next opponent is Green Bay, the team against which he suffered the Achilles injury that interrupted his previous spell.[1]
Injuries have changed Minnesota’s quarterback plans
Minnesota signed Kyler Murray as a free agent in the offseason. He started six games, with five touchdown passes and three interceptions, but a hamstring injury kept him out against Buffalo. Carson Wentz started in his place and completed 8 of 25 passes, with two intercepted. The Vikings also traded J.J. McCarthy to the Giants in September. Cousins’s arrival follows those changes to a position he previously held for six seasons.[1]
