The Minnesota Vikings have identified Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Kirk Cousins as a prime trade candidate ahead of Tuesday’s 4 p.m. ET deadline, league sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Minnesota is evaluating options following a 23-6 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Monday night that left the team at 6-2. Starting quarterback Kyler Murray is sidelined with a Grade 2 hamstring strain, and Carson Wentz struggled during Monday’s matchup, completing only eight of 25 passes for 81 yards with two interceptions.
Vikings have identified Raiders QB Kirk Cousins as a prime trade candidate ahead of today’s 4 pm ET deadline, per league sources. The clock is ticking to get a deal done. pic.twitter.com/xn4ol0Yq6G
— Post by @AdamSchefter on X
We’ve had dialogue about a lot of different positions,
head coach Kevin O’Connell said after Monday’s loss when asked about making a trade for a quarterback. Tight turnaround, obviously, playing the Monday night game, and we’ll get right to work on any potential moves that can be there. But really just focused on the game tonight, which was not good enough in any way, shape or form.
Cousins played six seasons in Minnesota from 2018 through 2023, including two under O’Connell in 2022 and 2023. During the 2022 season, Cousins earned Pro Bowl honors by throwing for 4,547 yards with 29 touchdowns and 14 interceptions, while wide receiver Justin Jefferson set career highs with 128 catches and 1,809 yards.
After leaving the Vikings as a free agent in 2024 on a four-year, $180 million contract with the Atlanta Falcons, Cousins started 22 games before being released after the 2025 season. He signed with the Las Vegas Raiders, where he has started all nine games this season and completed 64.1% of his pass attempts for 2,340 yards with 20 touchdowns and eight interceptions, while mentoring No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza.
Schefter addressed the prospect on the Adam Schefter Podcast, stating, It makes no sense to me.
Pro Football Talk reported that the Vikings are expected to trade for a quarterback before Tuesday’s 4:00 p.m. ET deadline, with source options including Daniel Jones, Geno Smith, Mac Jones, Kirk Cousins, Marcus Mariota, and Jameis Winston, alongside potential surprise possibilities. For the Detroit Lions, who bolstered their secondary by acquiring Andre Cisco, a potential Cousins reunion in Minnesota would add another interesting wrinkle to the NFC North race.
Additional alternatives like Daniel Jones involve complex circumstances, as the sources lack any mention that the Indianapolis Colts traded away Quenton Nelson and DeForest Buckner or weighed moves for Jonathan Taylor, Josh Downs, and Grover Stewart.
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