As everyone writes the obituary for the Philadelphia Eagles‘ season after five straight losses, one bold move could still save it.
The Ringer’s Tom Pelissero suggested that bold move could be trading for Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Kirk Cousins, who has a direct connection to the Eagles, as offensive coordinator Sean Mannion was Cousins’ backup quarterback on the Minnesota Vikings in 2019 and 2020.
The Eagles are currently 2-5 and have two more games — against the Washington Commanders and New York Giants — before the NFL trade deadline on November 10.
“You happen to have a quarterback who could be had, who is very close with your offensive coordinator,” Pelissero said on “The Ringer NFL Show” on Tuesday. “If you brought in a Kirk Cousins and plopped him in … (general manager) Howie Roseman is the best there is at turning negative assets into positive assets. Cousins is a guy who could come in and function in that offense, and you would know from the moment he walks in the door how we’re going to do it. I just know the Raiders are a 3-4 team with the No. 1 overall pick sitting on the bench.”
The Raiders have started Cousins for the first seven games but do, indeed, have 2026 No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza as his backup and seemingly ready to play at a moment’s notice.
How Did Things Get This Bad for Eagles?
The Eagles are down bad at quarterback, with backup Tanner McKee starting the last two games after Super Bowl MVP Jalen Hurts was ruled out for the rest of the season after blood clots were discovered in his lungs.
That shouldn’t obscure the fact that Hurts guided the Eagles through the first 3 games of the losing streak — things were bad long before McKee took over.
How do things get better? That probably starts with getting the players around the quarterback healthy — NFL All-Pro running back Saquon Barkley has missed essentially four of seven games, and top wide receiver DeVonta Smith has already missed three games.
Kirk Cousins Battled Eagles as NFC East QB
Eagles fans know Cousins well from his time as the Washington Commanders’ quarterback.
Cousins, who will have $321.6 million in career earnings after this season, was a 4th-round pick (No. 102 overall) by the Commanders in the 2012 NFL draft and was the team’s full-time starter from 2015 to 2017.
Cousins led the Commanders to the playoffs in his first year as a starter in 2015 and made his first of 3 career Pro Bowls in 2016 before signing a 3-year, $84 million free-agent contract with the Minnesota Vikings in 2018.
Cousins signed a 4-year, $180 million free-agent contract with the Atlanta Falcons before the 2024 season — just one month before the Falcons selected quarterback Michael Penix in the 1st round (No. 8 overall) of the 2024 NFL Draft.
Eagles Could Save Season With Trade for $180 Million QB