The Vikings got a QB that they feel can at least give them a competent offense. Kirk Cousins has done that before. Now the focus will shift to the offensive line and will forever be on the play calling. KOC gets a lot of hate here and elsewhere because the offense has struggled this year. It also was not good when his starting QBs got injured. When he did have his starting QB they won 13 and 14 games. KOC has a 65% winning percentage while having to deal with 9 different starting QBs mainly because of injury
and in Cousins case, unable to reach a contract extension. That is outstanding coaching.
Here is a list of teams with 7 different starting QBs since 2022 and their winning pct …
Team | Starting QBs | Win %
Cleveland Browns | 10 | .403
New York Giants | 10 | .355
Las Vegas Raiders | 10 | .325
New York Jets | 10 | .312
Indianapolis Colts | 9 | .403
Minnesota Vikings | 8 | .645
Arizona Cardinals | 8 | .286
San Francisco 49ers | 7 | .658
Los Angeles Rams | 7 | .545
Miami Dolphins | 7 | .474
Washington Commanders | 7 | .408
Tennessee Titans | 7 | .263
The fire KOC herd mentality masses have gone completely mental. But heh, some dweeb gave him the QB Whisperer moniker and the herd just accepted it as their reality even though he never claimed to be that at all.
I have said before that I doubted the Wilfs would let him go due to his 36-45M in pay they would still owe. But another commenter pointed out to me that if another team hired him then the offset language that is common in coaches contracts would absolve them from much of that money (if not all). I imagine that there will be teams lining up to try and hire him.
Right now, the herd mentality says KOC is on the hot seat and if the team does not win a playoff game then the Wilfs should fire him. The majority of media types and fans share this mindset. Cool.
Let’s say the Wilf’s do fire him and another team signs him. The media will praise the other team for hiring a coach with a 65% winning record who has to navigate 9 different starting QBs and the, they will blast the Vikings for giving up on him. That is my prediction.
Now that I have shared the above nonsense with you, there is one caveat to replacing KOC and that is Brian Flores.
Flores has his unit playing as the top defense in the NFL right now and hopefully it stays there but if not, it should finish top 5 at the least. You got a coach who has his side of the ball playing great and another coach who has his side of the ball floundering due to poor QB play, too complicated an offense (doubtful), etc.
The Wilfs very well could decide to keep Flores. In that case, maybe a trade could be had whereby another team asks about KOC. Other teams can read tea leaves too. Some could say why not wait for him to be let go but then there is a chance for a bidding war. Maybe another team wants first dibs? The question I have is that this offensive ineffectiveness could be hurting any trade value.
Let’s say the Commanders want to get rid of Dan Quinn. Would the be willing to trade for KOC? What could the Vikings ask for? What about the Cowboys, Colts, Chargers, or Jets? I would be happy with two 2nd round picks for KOC.
Then, the Wilfs can promote Flores. There is all this talk about what team will hire Flores as head coach with the lawsuit going on. Well, one team has hired him to be DC and gave him a nice bump in pay this offseason. I doubt the Wilfs care about any backlash for promoting him to head coach. The team that could hire Flores as head coach is the Vikings.
KOC would have to agree to get traded but being able to coach Daniels may be appealing.
Let’s go with the Commandos giving up two 2nd round picks for KOC.
Moving on to the stinking Pukers. It is going to be a tough game as the Packer seem to have found their groove offensively as they are averaging 28.0 points and 371.0 total yards per game over their last four contests. Their rushing attack is bad though. Over their last four games7, the Pukers have averaged 78.0 rushing yards per game and 3.03 yards per carry (312 rushing yards on 103 attempts).
In the first game, Love threw for 387 yards and two touchdowns, with Christian Watson catching six passes for 147 yards and Matthew Golden adding six catches for 95 yards. The lack of a running game and the critical turnovers doomed them. Also, the 12 penalties for their obvious cheating did them no favors as well. We cannot expect the zebras to be friendly this week. Expect a lot of cheating.
Love does get explosive plays against the Vikings but the relentless volume of pressures eventually wears them down. Let’s hope that happens again.
The key for me is the offense maintain some long drives to keep the ball out of their hands and to give the defense rest. The defense was on the field for 42:32 against the Bills. They were on the field 20:49 vs the Dolphins and 20:23 vs the Saints and nobody was handing out tissues to them after those games. Before the Bills game the defense was averaging 28:29 per game on the field. The Bills game bumped it up to 30:15 per game. The defense should be fine.
Minnesota Vikings News and Links
Kirk Cousins trade grades: Vikings hope to salvage offense; Raiders get ‘A,’ turn to Fernando Mendoza
https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/kirk-cousins-trade-grades-vikings-raiders-fernando-mendoza/
Kevin O’Connell and the Minnesota Vikings are making one last-ditch attempt to save their offense, reuniting with Kirk Cousins and sending their 2027 third-round pick to the Las Vegas Raiders in return.
Minnesota Vikings: B-
That the Vikings are even in this situation is worthy of an “F.” Ever since Cousins left, they have failed to find a suitable replacement: Sam Darnold was excellent in 2024, but the Vikings let him go in favor of J.J. McCarthy. McCarthy played poorly and was hurt several times last year, as the Vikings rode a quarterback carousel. Minnesota traded McCarthy, who had been demoted to third-string behind Murray and Wentz, to the Giants early this season. Murray — always a curious-at-best fit for this offense — clearly wasn’t cutting it, and Wentz was never going to, either.
Cousins has been good this year — not great, but good. He looks far better than what he had been in Atlanta, where it was clear his mobility hadn’t returned post-Achilles tear. He’s still never going to win with his athleticism, but his negative play rate is down to 6.7%, on pace for a career best, and he is only being sacked on 9.8% of his dropbacks, also on pace for a career best. How much of that praise belongs to Klint Kubiak is up for debate, but it’s clear Cousins has regained some of his spryness. He doesn’t have to be Michael Vick, but he can’t be a statue.
Really, though, this all comes down to fit. Murray never fit. Cousins, hypothetically, does. Obviously, there is proof of concept here given his past in Minnesota. He attacks the middle of the field and delivers on intermediate throws. Plus, he is comfortable off play action. These are crucial parts of O’Connell’s scheme. Cousins, if nothing else, should do a much, much better job keeping the offense on schedule.
Given the circumstances, this grade can only be so high, and given the solution, it cannot get that much higher. Cousins is not a star. His arm strength is not what it once was, and for all the good things he did in Las Vegas, he is coming off a three-interception game. We’ll see how he holds up, physically, over the rigors of an 18-game regular season (he will not get a bye) plus expected postseason. His accuracy is a bit down from his best years, though it’s still a clear major improvement over Murray and Wentz, who at times seemed unable to hit water if they fell off a boat.
It’s also nice that the Vikings still have a third-round pick — the Eagles’ from the Jonathan Greenard trade — next year. It will be better than Minnesota’s, too.
Even though Cousins can unlock the best part of this offense — Justin Jefferson, who is the biggest winner of this deal — he cannot fix everything. The offensive line has been up-and-down at best, and the running game has been poor. Minnesota’s running backs are 31st in percentage of carries with a missed tackle forced and 26th in EPA per rush. There’s not much juice there.
Overall, Minnesota got better with this trade. Much better. But it couldn’t get much worse, either. Even with a truly outstanding defense, is average-to-slightly-above-average quarterback play and, in turn, average offense good enough to cash in on Super Bowl aspirations? The Vikings are about to find out, but at least they’re giving themselves a chance.
P.S. O’Connell had better be right about this move. He has missed on two straight quarterback evaluations. He cannot miss on a third.
Raiders: A
If you told a Raiders fan before the season that Mendoza would make his first start in Week 10, they’d probably say that’s about right. If you told them he’d start because the Raiders got a top-100 pick for Cousins, they’d be very happy with that outcome.
Cousins well exceeded the mere placeholder role he was given. He played well and, at times, very well. He kept an offense that’s very much in the early building stage moving — the Raiders are eighth in points per drive this season. He did this all alongside one of the league’s worst running games and worst/youngest wide receiver corps. He leaned on Brock Bowers, who looks like a superstar once again, and fellow tight end Michael Mayer. The Raiders went 4-5 under Cousins and were competitive in several losses. This was a 99th-percentile outcome.
More details emerge around the Minnesota Vikings’ trade for Kirk Cousins
https://bringmethenews.com/minnesota-sports/more-details-emerge-around-the-minnesota-vikings-trade-for-kirk-cousins
The Vikings would ultimately strike a deal with the Las Vegas Raiders to bring Cousins home for a 3rd-round pick. The pick is the Vikings’ owner, which as things stand is likely to be a lower pick than the 3rd-rounder they picked up off of the Philadelphia Eagles when they traded Jonathan Greenard in the offseason.
And it looks like the Vikings got a decent deal out of it given their desperation, with NFL insider Jordan Schultz reporting that the Raiders were initially seeking a much more valuable 2nd-round pick for Cousins.
They then reportedly lowered their demand to the pick the Vikings got from the Eagles, which the Vikings again turned down, before ultimately agreeing on the likely lower 3rd-round pick, with the Raiders happy to move forward with rookie QB Fernando Mendoza.
Schultz also revealed that “ownership” and Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell advocated for Cousins’ return to Minnesota. Schultz has also revealed that the Vikings reached out on the Chargers’ Justin Herbert, the New York Jets’ Geno Smith, and the Indianapolis Colts’ Daniel Jones.
On the Cousins side, another insider, Tom Pelissero, reported on his site The Sweep that the Raiders had given Cousins the choice on whether to stay with them or to go back to Minnesota, with Cousins ultimately opting to return with a chance at making the playoffs.
Pelissero also says that no serious consideration had been given to trading for a QB before Kyler Murray’s hamstring injury and Carson Wentz’s Monday showing against the Bills.
Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer seemingly confirms this, revealing that the first contact between the Vikings and the Raiders didn’t happen until Monday – though it happened before the Bills game.
Grade The Trade: Vikings act of desperation results in a new quarterback, but also comes at a significant cost
https://atozsports.com/nfl/minnesota-vikings-news/grade-the-trade-vikings-act-of-desperation-results-in-a-new-quarterback-but-also-comes-at-a-significant-cost/
The Minnesota Vikings have acted in desperation. They traded their 2027 third-round pick to the Las Vegas Raiders in exchange for quarterback Kirk Cousins, bringing a familiar name back to Minneapolis in the middle of the season.
…
This trade is going to have a huge impact on the future of the team. A third-round pick doesn’t always mean everything, but the Vikings gave one up for a 38-year-old quarterback who will only play nine games, plus a potential playoff run.
That is a high cost, especially for new general manager Nolan Teasley. He hasn’t had the opportunity to run a free agency period or an NFL draft yet, and now one of his future draft picks is already gone.
That is a high cost, especially for new general manager Nolan Teasley. He hasn’t had the opportunity to run a free agency period or an NFL draft yet, and now one of his future draft picks is already gone.
That leaves $10 million coming off the cap. It’s not an insignificant number, since it represents around 3% of the salary cap. That’s rough for the Vikings, and, unfortunately, they’re in a position where this had to happen.
With all of that said, when you have the No. 1 defense in the league, you have to take the shot. Wasting a unit that good because of poor quarterback play would have been a far bigger mistake.
…
If Minnesota hadn’t traded quarterback J.J. McCarthy, it wouldn’t be in this mess. Now the question is whether Cousins can turn a desperate move into something worth the price.
Grade: C+
From Kirk Cousins saving Vikings’ defense to Chargers ignoring reality, NFL trade deadline winners and losers
https://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/article/from-kirk-cousins-saving-vikings-defense-to-chargers-ignoring-reality-nfl-trade-deadline-winners-and-losers-211122078.html
Winners
The Vikings’ defense: Many in Minnesota win with Cousins’ arrival. Receiver Justin Jefferson no doubt is breathing a little more easily after the news. But the Vikings’ defense coordinated by Brian Flores has to be the biggest winner. Flores’ unit has allowed the fewest points and second-fewest yards across the entire NFL this season. Minnesota’s offense has rewarded the blitz-happy dominance with … the 27th-ranked scoring offense and 31st-ranked (that’s second-worst, for those counting at home) total offense. Cousins arrives with 2,340 passing yards (fifth) and a 97.1 passer rating (11th) this season. He led the Raiders to an offense averaging 8.1 more points and 64.2 more yards per game this season. Cousins knows O’Connell’s offense from their 2022 and 2023 partnership in Minnesota, giving him a “low start-up cost,” in the words of one high-ranking AFC executive. At 6-2, the Vikings’ chances of winning a crowded NFC North live.
Losers
Kevin O’Connell’s QB whisperer reputation: Winning 64.5% of games in five years, and engineering multiple top-10 offenses, the Minnesota Vikings’ Kevin O’Connell has proven he’s a valuable head coach and play-caller. But two years ago, after Sam Darnold’s resurgence in Minnesota, O’Connell was riding a reputation as a quarterback whisperer who would elevate and maximize any quarterback in his system. That luster has dimmed as the Vikings come off their third game this season without a touchdown. Minnesota thought it would spark Kyler Murray after acquiring the former No. 1 overall draft pick this spring, and he’s instead currently 20th in passer rating as well as in and out of the lineup because of injury. Former second overall pick Carson Wentz played well last season in relief for Minnesota, but he has fallen off a cliff this year — most recently completing 32% of his pass attempts for 81 yards, two interceptions and a lost fumble in a 23-6 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Monday. And while it’s disingenuous to say J.J. McCarthy would have solved the Vikings’ QB woes in-house — some players simply need a change of scenery to find their footing, as McCarthy has with the Giants — Minnesota trading away a former first-round pick on his rookie deal for a fifth-round pick doesn’t help perception as the club struggles to find an answer at the position. Perhaps a deep playoff run with Cousins will boost O’Connell’s reputation in other areas.
The Colts’ belief in Jonathan Taylor’s market: Trading Buckner and Nelson never guaranteed the Colts would trade Jonathan Taylor. The prior two were veterans on expiring contracts; Taylor signed an extension in August and offers possible value for the 2027 Colts and beyond no matter who’s coaching. So this loser column placement isn’t to suggest the Colts should have dealt Taylor. But the Colts seemingly broadcasting their desired market for him appears to have backfired. League sources were well aware that Indianapolis wanted a Christian McCaffrey-like haul for Taylor: the equivalent of a 2027 second-, third- and fourth-round pick as well as a 2028 fifth-round pick. That was richer than any team could justify, so Taylor stays home. Was there a quieter way to go about this exploration, that put Taylor in less of an awkward position? “You play every game like it’s your last …” Taylor said from his locker Sunday. “This place helped shape me into the man I am today, so I’m very grateful. So if it is, I’m very grateful for the city of Indianapolis.” Narrator: It was not.
Kirk Cousins is back in Minnesota, and the Vikings’ NFC odds are still too long
https://www.foxnews.com/outkick-betting/kirk-cousins-back-minnesota-vikings-nfc-odds-still-too-long
The Vikings may have acquired the only missing piece for their Super Bowl run
https://www.nbcnews.com/sports/nfl/minnesota-vikings-las-vegas-raiders-nfl-kirk-cousins-playoffs-rcna608598
Fran Tarkenton raves about Kirk Cousins’s return to Minnesota
https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/fran-tarkenton-raves-about-kirk-cousinss-return-to-minnesota
Ex-Cardinals QB Kyler Murray Gets Brutal News After Vikings Trade
https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/ex-cardinals-qb-kyler-murray-004959976.html
Vikings Terminate Contract of Odell Beckham, Jr. During Roster Moves
https://www.vikings.com/news/roster-moves-terminate-contract-of-odell-beckham-jr
Vikings Announce Ex-Giants WR Odell Beckham Jr. Move After Trade Deadline
https://heavy.com/sports/nfl/new-york-giants/odell-beckham-move-after-trade-deadline/
NFL Power Rankings, Week 10: Jaguars reach season high; Vikings, Patriots slide after lopsided defeats
https://www.nfl.com/news/nfl-power-rankings-week-10-2026-nfl-season
Apparently, the Vikings Checked in on Several Other Quarterbacks
https://vikingsterritory.com/2026/news/top_news/the-vikings-checked-othe-qb
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