Third-Round Pick Brings Kirk Cousins Back to Vikings From Raiders

The Minnesota Vikings traded a third-round pick in the 2027 NFL Draft to the Las Vegas Raiders to reacquire quarterback Kirk Cousins, completing the deal less than an hour before Tuesday's 4 p.m. trade deadline, according to a report from Pro Football Talk cited by the New York Post.

What triggered the Vikings' move for Cousins?

The deal traces back to backup quarterback Carson Wentz's performance against the Buffalo Bills at U.S. Bank Stadium on Nov. 9, according to a report from ESPN's Ed Werder relayed by the Post. Wentz, 33, was pulled in the fourth quarter after throwing two interceptions and failing to generate offense, Werder reported. That benching is what reopened talks between Minnesota and Las Vegas after earlier conversations about Cousins had stalled, per the Post's account of Werder's reporting.

With Wentz struggling and the Vikings pushing for playoff position, the team moved quickly. Pro Football Talk reported the trade — a third-round 2027 pick in exchange for Cousins — came together in the final hour before the deadline closed.

What did Minnesota give up, and what did Las Vegas get in return?

The Raiders received a third-round pick in next year's draft, according to Pro Football Talk's reporting cited by the Post. Beyond the draft capital, Las Vegas also gave Cousins, 38, the choice of whether to report to Minnesota or look elsewhere, a condition relayed through "Put on Raiders" podcast host Ryan Holmes. That detail matters because it means the trade's completion depended not just on draft-pick terms but on Cousins himself signing off on the destination.

Why did Cousins choose to rejoin the Vikings rather than stay with the Raiders?

Holmes reported that Cousins had "unfinished business" in Minnesota and opted to rejoin the Vikings for a playoff push, even though he valued his time in Las Vegas and his relationship with No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza, the rookie quarterback the Raiders drafted. Cousins also recognized it was a matter of time before Mendoza took over as the Raiders' starter, according to the Post's sourcing.

Before finalizing his decision, Cousins consulted his family, longtime agent Mike McCartney, and Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell, the Post reported. Only after those conversations did Cousins inform Raiders general manager John Spytek that he would approve a trade back to Minnesota.

How did Cousins perform during his time with the Raiders?

Cousins' Las Vegas tenure lasted nine regular-season games, during which the Raiders went 4-5. Over that stretch, he threw 20 touchdown passes against eight interceptions, according to figures reported by the Post. Those numbers formed part of the backdrop for his decision — a quarterback producing at a respectable clip for a team that still sat below .500, with a rookie first overall pick waiting for his opportunity.

What is Cousins' history with the Vikings, and why did the reunion come together easily?

Cousins and the Vikings share a long relationship that predates this trade. He played four seasons alongside wide receiver Justin Jefferson and appeared in 25 regular-season games under O'Connell before departing for Atlanta in free agency, according to the Post. From 2018 through 2023, Cousins led Minnesota to two playoff appearances, though the team logged just a single playoff victory during that run, the Post reported.

That existing familiarity — between Cousins, O'Connell, and a locker room he had already spent six seasons in — is what the Post described as making the reunion "an easy sell for both parties." The trade reunites a quarterback who knows the system with a coaching staff that already built one around him, at a moment when Minnesota's incumbent starter had just posted one of his worst outings of the season.

For now, the move leaves the Raiders to turn to Mendoza as their long-term answer at quarterback, while the Vikings add a second accomplished veteran option behind Wentz for the stretch run. Neither team has publicly detailed what the quarterback competition in Minnesota will look like beyond the trade's immediate terms, based on the reporting available at this time.