The Minnesota Vikings acquired quarterback Kirk Cousins from the Las Vegas Raiders before the 2026 NFL trade deadline. Cousins, 38, started nine games for the 4-5 Raiders while mentoring 2026 No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza.
Cousins will reunite with head coach Kevin O'Connell, who was Washington’s quarterbacks coach in 2017 — Cousins’ final season with the Commanders. O’Connell’s offense emphasizes processing speed and intermediate throws, strengths in Cousins’ game. The Vikings are 6-2 and feature the league’s best defense.
TOP NEWS
Cousins will also throw to Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson. Since the start of the 2022 season, Jefferson averaged 103.5 yards per game and a 70% catch rate on passes from Cousins. This season, with other quarterbacks, Jefferson averaged 56.1 yards per game and 2.16 yards per route run — down from 2.73 with Cousins.
The Cincinnati Bengals reversed a trade for veteran edge rusher Arnold Ebiketie after analyst Nick Korte tweeted that the move would cancel their projected third-round compensatory pick. Ebiketie, signed by the Philadelphia Eagles to a one-year deal worth up to $7.3 million in free agency, counted as a qualifying free agent under the NFL’s compensatory pick formula. The Bengals had lost Trey Hendrickson, Joseph Ossai and Noah Fant, and signed Bryan Cook and Boye Mafe. Adding Ebiketie would have offset their lone remaining compensatory selection.
The Bengals’ decision to avoid the trade followed head coach Zac Taylor’s Monday statement: “Nothing … we’re good.”
The Indianapolis Colts traded wide receiver Josh Downs to the Kansas City Chiefs. Downs moves from an offense ranked 31st in EPA per dropback and 32nd in explosive pass rate to one ranked eighth in EPA per dropback and seventh in explosive pass rate. Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes throws more screens and quick passes than any other NFL team — a stylistic fit for Downs’ slot separation ability.
The Philadelphia Eagles traded defensive tackle Jordan Davis to an unnamed team for a 2027 first-round pick and a 2029 second-round pick. Davis, extended by the Eagles in March to a three-year, $78 million deal, recorded 1.5 sacks in 2026 and ranked 35th among defensive tackles in sacks. In 2025, he was fourth among DTs in run stop rate and run stop EPA.
According to the source, Eagles general manager Howie Roseman is known for winning on trade deals. The return for Davis compares favorably to recent DT trades: Quinnen Williams netted a first- and second-round pick last year; Jeffery Simmons returned two first-round picks this year.
More: NFL · Cincinnati Bengals · Minnesota Vikings
