The Minnesota Vikings are the only undefeated team remaining in the NFL. But the way they have played on offense, it often doesn’t feel like the team has yet to receive a blemish on its record.
Even after a 16-10 victory against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 7 to improve to 6-0, the conversation around the Vikings among a few analysts at The Athletic was whether Minnesota was a true contender.
The analysts also wondered aloud if the Vikings could benefit from a quarterback change.
The conclusion ultimately was no. But if things don’t get any better soon, Ted Nguyen floated a familiar quarterback as a potential trade target — Kirk Cousins.
“I think you still give Murray a couple of games to get it together. In-season quarterback trades rarely work out,” wrote Nguyen. “If the Vikings are really desperate to make a move closer to the deadline, they should consider trading for Cousins. He’s playing the best we’ve seen in years and came into this week tied for the most touchdown passes in the league.
“Obviously, he’s familiar with O’Connell’s system. If the Raiders keep losing and they want to go to Mendoza, they might be open to trading Cousins.”
The 38-year-old quarterback has started this season very strongly for the Las Vegas Raiders. Cousins leads the NFL with 16 passing touchdowns entering Monday night in Week 7. He is also third in passing yards with 1,877 after seven games.
Cousins started 25 games over two seasons under Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell. In 2022, Cousins led the team to a 13-4 record and the NFC North title in O’Connell’s first season as head coach.
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Given how Cousins’s departure went — he left for a giant contract in 2023 after very little playoff success in Minnesota — it’s worth wondering if the Vikings would go down the Cousins path again.
In fact, they could have pursued Cousins over the offseason when the veteran was a free agent. The Vikings signed Kyler Murray instead.
Would the Vikings be willing to admit that was a mistake and give up draft capital for Cousins?
The answer could be yes if the Vikings really do feel they are a quarterback away.
The way the team is playing defense, it’s a fair argument to make that they are a signal-caller away. But the question is whether a midseason quarterback trade could really work.
As Nguyen mentioned, they don’t normally.
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While there remains a lot of noise around Murray, the Vikings don’t appear to be wavering on their commitment to the quarterback.
“I think our guys are confident that we’re not that far off,” O’Connell said after beating the Colts. “And the far off changes a little bit as you go.
“I think we were off the finger tips to Jauan [Jennings] on one play. You know, obviously late there. Some penalties. Just some inefficient runs that, you know, were not far off.
“We got ourselves into some [third-and-long situations].”
A lot of fans and pundits aren’t going to believe that sentiment. It’s possible that answer Sunday was simply coaches’ speak, and O’Connell doesn’t believe it himself.
Either way, the Vikings have two weeks to decide if they want to find a new quarterback on the trade market. The NFL trade deadline is Tuesday, November 10.
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