The Minnesota Vikings traded their 2027 third-round draft pick to the Las Vegas Raiders on Tuesday, November 10, 2026, to reacquire quarterback Kirk Cousins. Cousins could start Sunday’s game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field at 1 p.m. ET on Fox.
Cousins tore his right Achilles tendon on October 29, 2023, while playing for the Vikings at Lambeau Field. He missed the rest of the 2023 season. The Vikings used eight different starting quarterbacks and made 14 in-season quarterback changes between that injury and the trade.
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Carson Wentz started Monday night at U.S. Bank Stadium for the injured Kyler Murray. The Vikings lost that game and their previous one, ending a 6–0 start to the season.
The Vikings’ leadership cited their top-tier defense and special teams as reasons to stabilize quarterback play midseason. The Raiders will now start rookie Fernando Mendoza — the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft — as their long-term franchise quarterback.
Cousins led the NFL with 18 touchdown passes and posted a 64 QBR over eight games in the 2023 season before his injury. He grew more comfortable in Kevin O’Connell’s offense by midseason that year.
Wide receiver Justin Jefferson averaged 56.1 receiving yards per game in 2026. Across four seasons with Cousins, he averaged 98 yards per game.
O’Connell reports directly to owners Zygi and Mark Wilf. General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah was fired earlier this year; Nolan Teasley is the current general manager.
The Vikings are 6–2 and face the Packers (6–3) on Sunday, then the San Francisco 49ers (7–1) in Mexico City next week. The Raiders remain in playoff contention but have allowed 30 or more points in six straight games.
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