Kirk Cousins no longer plays for the Atlanta Falcons, but he’s a name to watch ahead of the 2026 NFL trade deadline.
The deadline arrives at 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday, and Cousins appears to be very much in play in a situation of quarterback need elsewhere in the NFC.
Cousins himself now plays for the Las Vegas Raiders, where he’s gotten off to a surprisingly excellent start to the season while holding off No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza.
But the Raiders are 4-5, and it wouldn’t be crazy to see them deal Cousins if they get a good offer — it would make it easy for them to then install Mendoza as the starter.
And one NFC team, the Minnesota Vikings, appears to very much have a need at the quarterback position.
Kirk Cousins Trade Rumors
Cousins was named by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport in relation to the Vikings less than 24 hours before the deadline.
Minnesota got bad QB play from Carson Wentz on Monday night, and the Vikings already have Kyler Murray hurt.
On paper, it might come down to either Cousins or Daniel Jones of the Indianapolis Colts.
“Here’s what the Vikings have; they have Kirk Cousins, who obviously played for them,” Rapoport said. “The Raiders have shown no indication that they would trade him, but at least they could call and see what is there. And then they have Daniel Jones, who obviously was in their building a couple of years ago on their practice squad, playing still for the Colts. Those are two options that could be had for draft pick compensation that wouldn’t kill the Vikings. I would expect them to at least look into it tomorrow.”
The problem with Cousins, as Rapoport said, is that the Raiders don’t seem to be in a hurry to move him. If they do, though, watch Minnesota.
Falcons Impact
If the Raiders were to trade Cousins to the Vikings, it would move him into their conference and create the potential for a meeting down the road.
Minnesota could also seek out QB help other than Cousins or Jones if those deals don’t come through, and Atlanta does have experienced veterans Tua Tagovailoa and Andy Dalton on the roster. They wouldn’t be the favorites to end up with the Vikings, but it wouldn’t be impossible.
Mostly, it’s been fascinating for Falcons fans to watch from afar as Cousins has rediscovered his form this season — and now it’ll be intriguing to see where he ends up.
Ex-Falcons QB Kirk Cousins Could Play Big Trade Deadline Role