Whenever a quarterback is moved, it's a big deal. When it's a starting quarterback, it's a bigger deal. When it happens right at the deadline, it can dominate the news cycle.
The Raiders trading Kirk Cousins to the Vikings is a big deal. Though it yielded just the 90th pick (third round) in the 2027 NFL Draft, Cousins is returning to Minnesota where he is viewed as a savior for a Vikings team that is some decent quarterback play away from being a serious contender.
The movement on this deal hit overdrive Tuesday morning due to the fact that the Vikings played on Monday Night Football and Carson Wentz was truly terrible. Causing the Vikings to lose a game 23-6 which should have otherwise at least been competitive.
So, as you would expect, the trade
drew some strong reactions.
Kirk Cousins to the Vikings.
— Ian Rapoport (@rapsheet.bsky.social) 2026-11-10T20:15:44.493Z
kirk cousins:
— pete rogers, professional diaper changer (@petemrogers.bsky.social) 2026-11-10T19:43:39.407Z
The 2026 #Vikings are the only team since at least 1995 to both trade away and trade for a quarterback midseason in two separate transactions.
— John Todd (@JohnToddNFL) November 10, 2026
J.J. McCarthy out in September, Kirk Cousins in at the deadline#Skol@OptaSTATS
The happiest NFL player today might be Justin Jefferson.
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) November 10, 2026
In case you want to know what Kirk Cousins means to him...pic.twitter.com/tuZ7k0DTXw https://t.co/etGKplBrQq
Raiders stuck with their plan. They gave Mendoza plenty of time to sit/learn. Now it’s go time!
— Daniel Jeremiah (@MoveTheSticks) November 10, 2026
Vikings take on Kirk Cousins' minimum base salary for the rest of the year, and a $10 million fully-guaranteed roster bonus in March. After that, there's a two-year, $80 million option, which you'd assume will be declined.
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) November 10, 2026
Also—Cousins is getting paid by three teams in 2026.
Kirk Cousins could become the first QB in NFL history to start 18 regular season games.
— Steve Palazzolo (@StevePalazzolo_) November 10, 2026
Vikings already had their bye, Raiders have not
The 2026 #Vikings lead the NFL in scoring defense.
— John Todd (@JohnToddNFL) November 10, 2026
Kirk Cousins has played with a top-5 scoring defense once in his career: the 2019 Vikings, which helped Cousins win the only playoff game of his career#Skol https://t.co/VwKV23vSqf
Kirk Cousins literally just went from the team with NFL's worst defense to the NFL's best defense. That's gotta feel damn good.
— Levi Damien (@levidamien.bsky.social) 2026-11-10T21:00:24.075Z
Thats a great trade for the vikings. Far better value than some of these other trades around the nfl.
— Jason_OTC (@Jason_OTC) November 10, 2026
The Raiders have been meticulous and patient, but it's been pretty clear Fernando Mendoza's ready to play for a few weeks. Kirk Cousins has been a big factor in helping him, and now his trade allows for Mendoza to enter the lineup organically, without an undeserved benching.
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) November 10, 2026
🚨KIRK COUSINS TO THE VIKINGS🚨@DangeRussWilson @Ky1eLong live reaction to the Minnesota Vikings acquiring QB Kirk Cousins#SetHut pic.twitter.com/SnEOPF6sS6
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) November 10, 2026
To be clear, the entire process of getting what they got out of Cousins for what they paid him and flipping him into an asset was terrific. https://t.co/IpUUqpHzPw
— Adam Hill (@AdamHillLVRJ) November 10, 2026
Iconic moment 😆 @Vikings
— NFL (@NFL) November 10, 2026
(via camdantzler3/IG) pic.twitter.com/dHmfC382IZ
Carson Wentz was so terrible last night that the Raiders got a third-rounder from Vikings for Kirk Cousins. No brainer.
— Vic Tafur (@VicTafur) November 10, 2026
The Cousins thing is fascinating because it's the PERFECT control experiment.
— Sam Monson (@SamMonsonNFL) November 10, 2026
We KNOW Cousins works in this offense, with this coach, throwing to these receivers.
There's nobody else out there who would eliminate so many variables to try and fix it.
Getting a 3rd is great value for Kirk, who is 38 and essentially on a one-year deal. Raiders were likely trying to get a second but that was a bit lofty.
— Ted Nguyen (@FB_FilmAnalysis) November 10, 2026
Justin Jefferson 🤝 Kirk Cousins pic.twitter.com/N7S33CsHoI
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) November 10, 2026
@MinaKimes shares why she likes the Kirk Cousins trade for the Vikings ✍️ pic.twitter.com/go7yKLgHtD
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) November 10, 2026
The Kirk Cousins signing was a master stroke by Raiders GM John Spytek:
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) November 10, 2026
The Raiders paid Cousins a total of $650,000
They got:
- 9 games of rock solid QB play
- 6+ months for #1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza to learn the system and be mentored by Cousins
- A 2027 3rd round…
This article originally appeared on Raiders Wire: NFL world reacts to Raiders trading QB Kirk Cousins to the Vikings
