Kirk Cousins is about to make NFL history. Again wearing the Minnesota Vikings‘ purple and gold, the 38-year-old quarterback is set to accomplish something no other player at his position has done since the league began officially tracking quarterback starts in 1950.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Cousins will become the first quarterback to start games for two different NFL teams in consecutive weeks when the Vikings face the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, November 15.
That’s not the only record within his reach.
Schefter also reported that Cousins would become the first quarterback in NFL history to start a playoff game for one team after starting games for another team during the same season, should Minnesota reach the postseason.
For a quarterback who was playing for the Las Vegas Raiders just one week ago, it’s an extraordinary turnaround. And the circumstances surrounding his return make Sunday’s game particularly meaningful.
If Minnesota makes the playoffs, Cousins can become the first QB ever to start a playoff game for a team after starting
Kirk Cousins Set for Historic Vikings Start After Raiders Trade
Cousins started for the Raiders against the San Francisco 49ers on November 8. Two days later, Minnesota acquired him ahead of the NFL trade deadline, sending Las Vegas a 2027 third-round draft pick.
By Friday, Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell had officially named Cousins the starting quarterback against Green Bay.
There was little time for a conventional transition, but Cousins isn’t learning an entirely unfamiliar offense. He spent six seasons with Minnesota from 2018 through 2023, including two under O’Connell.
That familiarity helped accelerate his return to the starting lineup.
“I cannot give him enough credit for coming in here, how he’s gone about the week, both him and the coaching staff, getting him ready to go,” O’Connell said, according to The Associated Press.
The Vikings desperately needed an answer at quarterback. Kyler Murray remains sidelined by a hamstring injury, while Carson Wentz completed just eight of 25 passes for 81 yards and two interceptions in Minnesota’s 23-6 loss to the Buffalo Bills on November 9.
Minnesota enters Sunday’s game at 6-2, having lost two consecutive games after starting the season undefeated.
The Vikings already defeated Green Bay 39-22 in September. Now, Cousins has an opportunity to complete the season sweep while delivering the first win of his second stint in Minnesota.
Why Kirk Cousins’ Return Against Packers Carries Extra Meaning
There is another remarkable wrinkle to Cousins’ historic return: His last appearance at Lambeau Field came on October 29, 2023, when he suffered a torn Achilles tendon during Minnesota’s 24-10 victory over Green Bay.
That injury ended his season and ultimately marked his final game with the Vikings before leaving for the Atlanta Falcons in free agency.
Three years later, he’s returning to the same stadium, wearing the same No. 8 jersey, with a chance to help save Minnesota’s season.
“Knowing that that was where I was carted off and had thoughts of: ‘Is this my last game? And my last game as a Viking?'” Cousins said, according to The Associated Press. “To be back there wearing the purple and gold, it has meaning.”
The Vikings’ playoff aspirations remain very much alive. Minnesota enters Week 10 with one of the NFL’s strongest defenses, but the team’s recent offensive struggles have threatened its early-season momentum.
Cousins now has the opportunity to stabilize that offense and reconnect with star wide receiver Justin Jefferson.
His first record will become official when he starts against the Packers. The second will require something much more difficult: guiding Minnesota into the postseason.
For Cousins, the road toward both milestones begins at the same stadium where his first chapter with the Vikings came to an abrupt end.
Kirk Cousins Set to Make NFL History in Vikings Return vs. Packers