The Minnesota Vikings were active leading up to the 4 pm ET trade deadline on Nov. 10. After a disastrous QB showing from Carson Wentz on Nov. 9 against the Buffalo Bills, the Vikings traded a 2027 third-round pick to the Las Vegas Raiders for Kirk Cousins.
Cousins returns to the Vikings for a second stint after playing for the organization from 2018 to 2023. Moreover, after Cousins’ final season in Minnesota, the Vikings decided to draft J.J. McCarthy in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Fast forward two years, and it’s Cousins returning, and McCarthy, who was dealt well before the trade deadline, to the New York Giants. On Nov. 10, while speaking to the media, McCarthy shared his thoughts on the Vikings trading for Cousins.
“Kirk Cousins is going back; I wish him nothing but the best of luck,” McCarthy told reporters. “I know he’s loved in that building, so it’ll be a great fit.”
Moreover, the Vikings also brought in a player who was playing well for the Raiders this season. Cousins has a passer rating of 97.1 with 2,340 yards, 20 touchdowns, and eight interceptions in nine games this season, per StatMuse.
Russell Wilson Applauds Kirk Cousins Move by Minnesota
With the Vikings having a new starting QB, former NFL QB Russell Wilson applauded the Vikings’ aggressiveness in bolstering the position after their back-to-back losses.
“Kirk’s been playing great all year,” Wilson said during a Nov. 10 appearance on “CBS Sports HQ.” “You think about a guy who had some struggles in Atlanta but overcame them and came back in an amazing way. To me, he’s kind of the comeback player of the year in Kirk O’Chains because of what he’s been able to do, stepping up and playing great for the Raiders.
“But now he’s got a plethora of playmakers around him, and he’s got KOC calling the plays. That marriage, that reunion, bringing him back, you could see it on KOC’s face last night, too. He’s thinking, ‘Man, we have to do something. This isn’t good enough.'”
Vikings Had to Make Trade for Kirk Cousins
Meanwhile, Jim Rome believes that no QB on the Vikings roster gives the team a better chance to win than Kirk Cousins, which is why Minnesota had to make this move. With their offense regressing at the midway point of the season, the Vikings can’t afford to waste the defense they have.
“I know why [the Raiders and the Vikings] did [the Cousins trade],” Rome said on the Nov. 10 edition of “The Jim Rome Show.” “If you think you have a shot to win right now, you do what you have to do. The Vikings had next to no shot after what we saw [against the Buffalo Bills in Week 9].
“Remember, they played Carson Wentz because, in my mind, they wanted to give Kyler Murray a soft benching. Then they saw what they had in Wentz, arguably the worst quarterback in the NFL. Cousins gives them a shot. He’s playing at a really high level and knows that system. Kirk Cousins will inject some life into the Vikings.”
Giants’ J.J. McCarthy Gets Candid on Kirk Cousins Trade to Vikings