Lindsey Young

EAGAN, Minn.A familiar face is back in the Vikings quarterbacks room.

Minnesota acquired Kirk Cousins from the Raiders via, the team announced Tuesday just ahead of the league's trade deadline. The Vikings sent a 2027 third-round pick to Las Vegas in exchange for the four-time Pro Bowl QB, Tom Pelissero reported.

The trade is pending a physical.

Cousins spent six seasons (2018-23) with the Vikings before signing with the Falcons as a free agent in 2024. After two seasons in Atlanta, he re-entered free agency and in April joined Las Vegas where he has been playing for former Vikings quarterbacks coach and first-year Raiders Head Coach Klint Kubiak. Cousins has started all nine games this season, with 2026 No. 1 overall draft pick Fernando Mendoza backing him up.

Cousins, 38, is 202-of-315 passing (64.1%) this season for 2,340 yards with 20 touchdowns to eight interceptions. His passer rating is 97.1.

Originally a fourth-round draft pick by Washington in 2012, he spent his first six NFL seasons with the NFC East team before inking a deal with Minnesota. He played under Vikings Head Coach Kevin O'Connell in Minnesota in 2022 and 2023, during which he started all 25 regular-season games he played. Cousins passed for 6,878 yards and 47 touchdowns with 19 interceptions.

Cousins' 2023 campaign was cut short when he suffered a torn Achilles in Green Bay in Week 8, creating a QB carousel (more detail below).

Minnesota (6-2) will visit Green Bay (6-3) at noon (CT) Sunday in Week 10.

Cousins has the unique advantage of knowing O'Connell's offense and having a rapport with multiple players in the locker room, including most of Minnesota's starting offensive line, as well as receivers Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison and tight end T.J. Hockenson.

Cousins joins a Vikings offense that has struggled to find a rhythm through the first half of the season. Minnesota acquired veteran QB Kyler Murray in the offseason as a free agent; he has started six games and thrown for five touchdowns, with three interceptions. Carson Wentz has played in three games, including Weeks 1 and 2 after Murray suffered a concussion early in the team's season opener. Wentz started in place of Murray (hamstring) against the Bills and was just 8-of-25 passing with no touchdowns and two picks.

On Sept. 28, the Vikings traded 2024 first-round draft pick J.J. McCarthy to the Giants for a fifth-round pick.

Vikings QB Carousel

Since Week 8 of 2023 when Cousins suffered a torn Achilles, the Vikings have cycled through multiple starting quarterbacks.

Including Cousins in that 24-10 win at Lambeau Field, the same site as this Sunday's Border Battle, Minnesota has had nine different players start games.

Cousins, 1 (Week 8 of 2023)

Jaren Hall, 2 in 2023

Joshua Dobbs, 4 in 2023

Nick Mullens, 3 in 2023

Sam Darnold, 17 in 2024

J.J. McCarthy, 10 in 2025

Carson Wentz, 5 in 2025 and 2 in 2026

Max Brosmer, 2 in 2025

Kyler Murray, 6 in 2026

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