Leading up to the Nov. 10 trade deadline, the Minnesota Vikings were reportedly inquiring about different QBs before trading a 2027 third-round to the Las Vegas Raiders for Kirk Cousins.
Nonetheless, before making that move, NFL insider Jordan Schultz reported on Nov. 10, citing multiple league sources, that Minnesota inquired about Justin Herbert, Daniel Jones, and Geno Smith.
Regarding the Los Angeles Chargers QB, Schultz added that the team immediately shut down all inquiries about Herbert, who also has a no-trade clause.
Still, once the offseason rolls around, could the Chargers be more open to trading their QB? NFL insider Jason La Canfora believes that there will be a market for Herbert this offseason.
“We reported teams would be calling,” La Canfora wrote in a Nov. 13 article for FanSided. “Some did and more will after the season, assuming Herbert doesn’t suffer a significant injury. The Chargers can abstain from the trade deadline all they want, but real problems persist there.
“People around the NFL aren’t convinced Jim Harbaugh will be there much longer, and it’s going to be almost impossible to rebuild around Herbert. Trading him would be far easier, especially since his contract isn’t bad. The Eagles, Ravens, and Vikings could all be QB-needy and looking for a winner right now who is not a rookie. There will be a market, even in this lost season.”
Could Kirk Cousins Play for the Vikings in 2027?
Despite Cousins now being in the fold, there’s still a possibility that the Vikings could be looking for a QB this upcoming offseason. The veteran QB is a free agent, but if he has success in this second half of the season, former Arizona Cardinals general manager Steve Keim doesn’t see why both parties wouldn’t want to run it back next season if all goes well.
“I would call it an audition,” Keim said on the Nov. 11 edition of “Inside Football.” “… But I would say Kirk Cousins is at an age where he’s got to decide how long he wants to play and with that defense, and considering they can continue to keep things rolling there, I don’t know why he wouldn’t want to continue to stay in Minnesota. I also saw an interview where he said he wanted to stay there all along.”
Justin Jefferson to Get Boost From Kirk Cousins’ Return
With Cousins back, there might not be a player more excited for his return than Justin Jefferson. The Vikings’ star wideout has had 115 catches for 1,441 yards and has scored six touchdowns in 24 games in his last two seasons, per StatMuse.
Nonetheless, The Athletic’s Ted Nguyen predicts a major offensive boost from Jefferson with Cousin back in Minnesota.
“I think it’s going to be a huge boost for Justin Jefferson,” Nguyen said in a Nov. 12 video from “The Athletic LIVE.” “He’s been a pretty good teammate, as you guys mentioned, when he could easily be complaining or requesting a trade. He had two of his best seasons with Kirk Cousins at quarterback. We’ve seen Kirk Cousins force-feed the ball to Brock Bowers.
“Even when Bowers wasn’t necessarily open, he still threw him the ball and made some good passes to him in covered situations. I think we’re going to see Jefferson get the ball more in situations where he’s actually open, and he’s going to get more 50-50 balls. There will be calculated gambles, so I expect him to get a huge statistical boost with Kirk Cousins throwing him the football.”
Insider Gives Justin Herbert Update After Vikings’ Reported Interest