The major J.J. McCarthy domino finally fell. The Minnesota Vikings shipped the young signal-caller to the New York Giants for a fifth-round selection (a trade we predicted a week ago) today.
Some were a bit surprised to see the Vikings pull the trigger on the move now. Starter Kyler Murray didn’t exactly look the part against the Buccaneers defense, completing only 15 of 29 attempts for 168 yards with 1 touchdown and 1 interception.
Many hoped the team would keep McCarthy around if Murray’s early struggles are a sign of things to come. The Vikings appear to have a championship-level defense, and they might make some noise in the playoffs with at least serviceable play at QB.
That fact has led some to theorize another move on the horizon. Sure, they have Carson Wentz, but the thought of him leading a team to glory after only starting 15 games since 2021 seems far-fetched. Kirk Cousins might be a quality option if they can pry him away from Las Vegas (which admittedly seems equally far-fetched right now), though.
“The Vikings trading for Kirk Cousins in a few weeks is going to hit like a drug,” SkorNorth‘s Phil Mackey wrote on X shortly after the McCarthy trade was announced.
Kirk Cousins Enjoyed Six Years With The Minnesota Vikings
Cousins was expected to be Minnesota’s answer at the quarterback position. To his credit, he lived up to that status for the most part, making three Pro Bowls over his six years in Minnesota. He was an ideal game manager who consistently took what the defense gave him. Basically, he’s exactly what Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell covets.
While his success (or, more specifically, Minnesota’s success with him under center) didn’t translate to the postseason, he still made the most of what he had around him. Cousins boasted an impressive record of 50-37-1 during his tenure in the Twin Cities.
Unfortunately, Cousins hasn’t found nearly as much success since leaving Minnesota in 2023. He led the league with 16 interceptions (in only 14 starts) with the Falcons the following year and only started eight games in Atlanta last season.
However, to his credit, he seems to have found new life in Las Vegas. The Raiders are one of five remaining undefeated teams (along with Minnesota), and Cousins has completed 67.4% of his passes with 9 TDs (tied for the league lead) and only 3 interceptions.
Would The Raiders Really Consider Trading Kirk Cousins?
To put it bluntly, probably not. Not with them flying high at 3-0, anyway. Their hot start is one of the biggest surprises through three games, as many thought they were protecting first-overall selection Fernando Mendoza from a lack of talent around him.
Nobody expected Cousins to be an elevator, but that’s exactly what he’s been thus far. His play hasn’t been flashy (it never really has been), but it has been hyper-efficient (like it usually has been).
The Raiders would have to start rapidly losing games to consider moving on from Cousins. However, that’s not outside the realm of possibilities. They are tasked with running an absolute gauntlet over the next month. They play the Chiefs, Patriots, Bills, and Rams in October.
If the Raiders lose all those games and look bad doing it (specifically on offense), they might consider a QB change. Conversely, if the Vikings experience a similar run of offensive bad luck, nothing would prevent them from taking a swing at stability.
It seems like an outlandish hypothetical right now, but a lot can change in the NFL in a month. If the Raiders start looking like the Raiders that we expected to see this season, and Kyler Murray starts looking like the Kyler Murray that they hoped they wouldn’t see, then Cousins could be near the top of their wish list.
NFL Analyst Thinks Vikings Could Bring Back An Old Friend After McCarthy Trade