Vikings bring back QB Kirk Cousins
in a trade with the Raiders to lift a struggling offense
[November 11, 2026]
By DAVE CAMPBELL
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Vikings reacquired quarterback Kirk
Cousins to try to revive their sputtering offense, beating the NFL
trade deadline on Tuesday with an agreement to send their 2027
third-round draft pick to the Las Vegas Raiders.
The deal, which was contingent on Cousins passing a physical,
created an opening for rookie Fernando Mendoza to take over with the
Raiders and a spark for a Vikings team that started 6-0 but has been
stuck in a quarterback quandary that has threatened to waste a
dominant showing by the defense.
The 38-year-old Cousins had some of his best career performances
with the Vikings while helping them win 13 games in 2022 in coach
Kevin O’Connell’s debut. He was playing even better halfway through
the following season when he tore his Achilles tendon during a game
at Green Bay in Week 8.
Guess where the Vikings play on Sunday? Lambeau Field, to face the
rival Packers.
With Kyler Murray sidelined by a hamstring strain — he has missed
two full games and the majority of a third to injuries — on Monday
night against Buffalo, a Vikings offense that has been off track
since Sam Darnold struggled through the last two games of the 2024
season hit a new low with Carson Wentz.
In his 101st start in the NFL, Wentz posted a career-worst 8.9
passer rating — the lowest by anyone in the league with at least 10
attempts in a game, according to Sportradar data, since Sam Howell
(1.7) went 6 for 22 with two interceptions for 56 yards for
Washington on Dec. 24, 2023.
Wentz was 8 for 25 for 81 yards, two interceptions and a lost fumble
from a badly overthrown swing pass to Justin Jefferson in the first
quarter that went backward for a live ball. With Wentz hobbling on
an ankle injury and the offense going nowhere, Max Brosmer took over
midway through the fourth quarter of the 23-6 loss.
“We had a lot of plays we felt good about coming into the game that
clearly did not come to fruition in any way, shape or form,”
O'Connell said.
The quarterback carousel in Minnesota has spun a complete circle
back to Cousins
Since Cousins got hurt on Oct. 29, 2023, a span of 53 games,
O'Connell has made 14 in-season switches at quarterback because of
injury or performance, involving nine different starters. Assuming
Cousins is on the field against the Packers on Sunday, he'll make it
15 changes — and that doesn't include the yearly moves made during
the offseason.
Cousins topped 4,200 passing yards four times in his first five
years with the Vikings, who extended his contract twice before
letting him leave as a free agent in 2024 for Atlanta and drafting
J.J. McCarthy with the 10th overall pick in the draft. McCarthy
suffered a season-ending knee injury in his very first exhibition
game, paving the way for Darnold's breakthrough.
When the Vikings decided not to pursue Darnold in free agency, where
he landed with eventual Super Bowl champion Seattle, they pinned
their offense last year on the raw McCarthy and paid for it without
a better backup plan. McCarthy was limited to 10 games by multiple
injuries and frequently erratic when he played. Wentz made five
starts before needing season-ending shoulder surgery. Brosmer was an
undrafted rookie in over his head in emergency duty.
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Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Kirk Cousins (8) passes against the
San Francisco 49ers during the first half of an NFL football game in
Santa Clara, Calif., Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Kelley L. Cox)
With Murray and Wentz atop the depth chart this
year, new general manager Nolan Teasley felt confident enough six
weeks ago to trade McCarthy to the New York Giants for a fifth-round
draft pick. McCarthy has fared relatively well for the first-place
Giants, who needed a sub for the injured Jaxson Dart.
“Kirk Cousins is going back,” McCarthy said when asked about the
trade after practice with the Giants. "Yeah, wish him nothing but
the best of luck. I know he’s loved in that building, so he’ll be a
great fit.”
The Vikings had an extra third-round selection from Philadelphia in
a swap they made in April for edge rusher Jonathan Greenard. The
Eagles are unloading at 2-7, and the Vikings are still 6-2 despite
their severe passing problems. That means the pick they sent the
Raiders is likely to be much lower than the one they’re owed by the
Eagles.
Raiders start the Mendoza era in earnest
The Raiders can now turn their offense over to Mendoza, the first
overall pick in this year’s draft after winning the Heisman Trophy
and a national championship with Indiana. Mendoza won’t exactly get
eased in, with a game on Sunday against the defending champion
Seahawks. The Raiders, however, ranked eighth in the league in
scoring over the first nine weeks with Cousins running the offense
despite being second worst in rushing yards per game.
“We couldn’t have picked a better guy to kick us off this season,"
Raiders coach Klint Kubiak said. "He earned the right to be in this
conversation. His production put him in this position, and we’re
going to miss Kirk. I just loved to come to work every day with him
and loved the teammate that he is and loved the person that he’s."
Because the contract Cousins signed came with a $10 million roster
bonus due on March 13, 2027, the Raiders paid him only about half of
his $1.3 million salary for 2026 — and in return got a second-day
draft pick, solid quarterbacking and about six months of no-pressure
development time for Mendoza.
“I have the utmost respect for him. I think most importantly as a
human, he gave everything he had to this organization for the time
that he was here,” general manager John Spytek said. "He played
great football. He led not only the quarterback room but the entire
team, too.”
___
AP Sports Writers Mark Anderson in Las Vegas and Stephen Whyno in
East Rutherford, New Jersey, contributed to this report.
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