By Field Level Media
Nov 11 (Field Level Media) - Kirk Cousins is headed back to the Minnesota Vikings in a trade with the Las Vegas Raiders announced Tuesday afternoon.
The 15th-year quarterback was the highest-profile name to change teams on Tuesday before the NFL's 4 p.m. ET trade deadline.
Las Vegas will receive a 2027 third-round pick in the deal and paid only $650,000 of Cousins' $1.3 million base salary for the 2026 season. As part of the trade, which was pending Cousins passing a physical Tuesday
night, the Vikings will pay the balance of Cousins' salary and a $10 million roster bonus in 2027.
Cousins knows the city, coach and playbook extremely well from his six seasons in Minnesota (2018-23), a run that ended with an Achilles injury suffered in October 2023 against the Packers in Green Bay.
With the Vikings in the thick of a tightly contested NFC North race, Cousins could be the starter when Minnesota and Green Bay line up this weekend.
Cousins represents an upgrade over the recent performance Minnesota has received at the position. Carson Wentz posted a single-digit passer rating and committed three turnovers in the Vikings' 23-6 home loss to the Buffalo Bills Monday, dropping Minnesota to 6-2 this season. Kyler Murray was the Week 1 starter but left that game before halftime with a concussion and has failed to spark the Vikings' offense in five starts since.
Minnesota is 31st in the NFL in passing offense at 160.8 yards per game and 27th in points per game (18.3).
The change of address is a big shift for Cousins, who had 20 touchdowns and eight interceptions with Las Vegas. But the Raiders are 4-5 and adrift in the AFC playoff race as they pass the midseason mark. The Raiders will now turn to No. 1 overall draft pick Fernando Mendoza under center.
--The Indianapolis Colts traded six-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Keenan Allen to the San Francisco 49ers.
The Colts (2-7) will receive a 2027 sixth-round draft pick in exchange for Allen, who has 40 catches for 351 yards and one touchdown in eight games (four starts) this season.
The 49ers (7-1) have been dealing with injuries to wide receivers Mike Evans, Deebo Samuel, Christian Kirk and Demarcus Robinson.
Allen, 34, posted five 1,000-yard seasons with the Los Angeles Chargers between 2017 and 2023. He played for the Chicago Bears in 2024, rejoined the Chargers in 2025 and signed a one-year deal worth up to $8.32 million with the Colts in August.
Allen has recorded 1,095 catches for 12,402 yards and 71 touchdowns in 179 career games (156 starts) since the then-San Diego Chargers selected him in the third round in 2013. He was the NFL's Comeback Player of the Year in 2017.
--Allen wasn't the only receiver to leave Indianapolis, as the Colts granted Josh Downs' request for a trade and sent him to the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Chiefs traded fourth- and fifth-round picks in 2027 to acquire Downs, primarily a slot receiver in Indy, and pad a depth chart severely dented by injuries. Kansas City also received a 2027 seventh-round pick in the deal.
Downs is in the final year of his contract -- a four-year, $5.52 million rookie deal -- and will become a free agent in March unless Kansas City offers him an extension. He had seven receptions for 72 yards in the Colts' 33-30 loss at Kansas City in Week 2.
The Colts' moves Tuesday continued a fire sale that began in the wake of the firing of general manager Chris Ballard in October. All-Pro guard Quenton Nelson was traded to the Seattle Seahawks and defensive tackle DeForest Buckner went to the 49ers.
--The Buffalo Bills bolstered their secondary by acquiring safety Amani Hooker from the Tennessee Titans.
Buffalo sent a second-round pick to Tennessee for Hooker and a fifth-rounder.
Hooker, 28, has matched his career high in interceptions in seven games (all starts) this season. He also has 52 tackles, one tackle for loss and six pass breakups.
Since Tennessee drafted him in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft, Hooker has played in 103 games (74 starts) while recording 468 tackles, 17 interceptions, 14 tackles for loss, five forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and 45 pass breakups.
--The AFC West-leading Denver Broncos bolstered their defense just before Tuesday's deadline by acquiring linebacker Daiyan Henley from the division rival Los Angeles Chargers.
The Broncos (7-2) gave up a fourth-round draft pick in 2027 and a fifth-round selection in 2028 to the Chargers, who are 0-8 to start the season.
Henley, 26, has 51 tackles with one interception, one forced fumble and two fumble recoveries in eight games (all starts) this season.
Henley was a third-round draft pick by the Chargers in 2023. The Los Angeles native has 317 tackles with four interceptions, one forced fumble and two fumble recoveries in 56 career games (41 starts).
Henley is in the final year of his rookie deal and was in line to become a free agent at the end of the season.
--The Baltimore Ravens acquired center Ryan Neuzil from the Atlanta Falcons for guard Andrew Vorhees.
The Ravens also said they were receiving "undisclosed draft compensation" in the trade, which multiple reports said was a 2028 sixth-round pick.
Neuzil, 29, is in the final year of a two-year contract extension he signed ahead of the 2025 season. He's played in 69 games and made 38 starts -- including all 17 last season and all nine this season -- since he signed with Atlanta as an undrafted free agent after the 2021 NFL Draft.
The addition of Neuzil could move Cam Jurgens, acquired from the Philadelphia Eagles via a trade in October, back to his more natural guard position from center, where he's started since being acquired by Baltimore.
Vorhees, 27, was a seventh-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft after tearing his ACL at the NFL Scouting Combine ahead of the draft. He has appeared in 37 games and made 22 starts over the past three seasons, including 17 starts in 2025.
(--Field Level Media)
