Kirk Cousins Trade: Vikings Bring Back QB From Raiders for a Third-Round Pick

Last updated: Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2026, 4:30 p.m. ET. This is a developing story. We'll update it when the trade clears its physical and the Vikings name a starter for Sunday.

Three years after he left, Kirk Cousins is going back to Minnesota. In the Kirk Cousins trade, the Vikings sent a 2027 third-round draft pick to the Las Vegas Raiders for the veteran quarterback, the team announced Tuesday just ahead of the NFL's 4 p.m. ET trade deadline.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo and ESPN's Adam Schefter had the deal first, NFL.com reported. The Vikings say it is still pending a physical.

Kirk Cousins trade details

As announced:

• Vikings receive: QB Kirk Cousins
• Raiders receive: a 2027 third-round pick

That's it. No other players are part of it in any of the reports so far. The Associated Press framed the move as Minnesota trying to revive a sputtering offense before the season slips away.

Why the Vikings wanted Cousins back

Minnesota started 6-0. It has lost two in a row since, and quarterback play is the reason most people point to. Kyler Murray is hurt, and Carson Wentz started in his place Monday night at U.S. Bank Stadium. ESPN called it the Vikings' worst game by a starting quarterback since 2006.

ESPN's count of what's happened at the position since Cousins left is hard to read if you're a Vikings fan. Minnesota has used eight different starting quarterbacks and made 14 in-season quarterback changes since Oct. 29, 2023. The team's decision-makers didn't want to waste a defense and special teams unit that have played at an elite level this year, ESPN reported.

Cousins also doesn't need a playbook crash course. The trade reunites him with head coach Kevin O'Connell, who coached him in his last two seasons in Minnesota, per NFL.com. ESPN reported the Vikings looked at other options, including Colts quarterback Daniel Jones, but sources saw Jones mostly as a fallback if the Cousins deal didn't happen.

Kirk Cousins stats in 2026

Cousins wasn't a placeholder in Las Vegas. He started all nine games for the Raiders, according to the Vikings' announcement:

The Raiders are 4-5, which NFL.com noted is a better spot than most people expected and right on the edge of the playoff race. ESPN said Cousins ranks fifth among quarterbacks in total fantasy points.

He's 38 now. Washington drafted him in the fourth round in 2012. He played six seasons there, six in Minnesota from 2018 to 2023, then signed with Atlanta as a free agent in 2024. After two years with the Falcons, he joined the Raiders in April to play for first-year head coach Klint Kubiak, a former Vikings quarterbacks coach, per the team.

Could Cousins start against the Packers?

Maybe, and the setting would be hard to script. ESPN reported that Cousins could start Sunday's game against Green Bay at Lambeau Field (1 p.m. ET, Fox). That's the same field where he tore his right Achilles tendon on Oct. 29, 2023, in what looked at the time like his last game as a Viking.

The Vikings haven't named a starter. Cousins still has to pass his physical, and he'll have only a few practices with his new teammates.

Fernando Mendoza's turn in Las Vegas

The other half of this trade may matter more long term. With Cousins gone, the Raiders are expected to hand the job to rookie Fernando Mendoza, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 draft, NFL.com and ESPN reported. Mendoza won the Heisman Trophy and a national title at Indiana.

He has barely played. His only appearance came in a blowout loss to the Patriots, when he went 6 of 8 for 48 yards, per NFL.com. ESPN reported the Raiders have liked his progress in practice and that he has a stronger arm and better mobility than Cousins. He'll also have tight ends Brock Bowers and Michael Mayer to throw to.

What it means for Justin Jefferson

ESPN's fantasy analysts named Justin Jefferson the biggest winner. He's averaging a career-low 56.1 receiving yards per game this season. In his four seasons with Cousins, Jefferson averaged 98 yards a game.

The rest of NFL trade deadline day

Cousins was the biggest quarterback move of a busy Tuesday. Earlier, the 49ers added a receiver in our Keenan Allen trade story, and Kansas City grabbed Indianapolis' Josh Downs, covered in our Josh Downs trade breakdown. The Jaguars' big swing came a day earlier with the Jessie Bates trade.

Still unconfirmed: whether Cousins starts Sunday, and how Minnesota will handle Murray's spot once he's healthy. We'll add both as the teams say more.