The Minnesota Vikings have a quarterback problem. Even though the Vikings sit with a strong 6-1 record entering Monday night's home game against the Buffalo Bills, everyone can plainly see that Minnesota has a gaping roster hole under center.
Kyler Murray may have been "soft-benched" while Carson Wentz is, at this point, a career journeyman capable of extremely occasional fits of brilliance. These are not quarterbacks you can win with in January, which is a shame given how great the Vikings' defensive and special teams units seem on paper.
That begs the question: Are the Vikings about to pull off a monster quarterback trade? And could it, perhaps, be for Kirk Cousins, who spent six seasons in Minnesota before leaving in 2024? Considering that
Cousins is already intimately familiar with Kevin O'Connell's offensive scheme and the Vikings' top offensive weapons like Justin Jefferson, the fit makes a lot of sense on paper. But if the Vikings are interested in reacquiring Cousins from the Las Vegas Raiders, they reportedly haven't yet shown much initiative to do so.
If the Vikings wind up calling the Raiders before Tuesday's NFL trade deadline, it would probably also require the Raiders to give up on their gradual development plan for 2026 No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza.
Put another way: There are a lot of hurdles to clear before Cousins wears purple again.
As of this weekend, the Raiders had not received any trade inquiries regarding their starting quarterback Kirk Cousins, nor are they interested in dealing him, per league sources. They plan to keep sticking with him until they believe their No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza is… pic.twitter.com/g9aU9OGyHl
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 8, 2026
The Vikings getting Cousins back for a playoff run could be a lot of fun. We'll see whether they really try to push for him while also convincing the Raiders that a trade would be worth it.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Will the Vikings trade for Kirk Cousins?
