Vikings trade deadline: Minnesota reacquiring Kirk Cousins from Raiders, reports say

Vikings trade deadline: Minnesota reacquiring Kirk Cousins from Raiders, reports say By KSTP Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Kirk Cousins (8) celebrates the team's win in an NFL football game against the New Orleans Saints in New Orleans, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) Can anything fix the debacle that has been the Minnesota Vikings offense this season? Hopefully Kirk Cousins can. Just hours before the trade deadline Tuesday afternoon, the Vikings agreed to a deal to bring Cousins back to Minnesota in a trade with the Las Vegas Raiders, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports . The Vikings are reportedly trading a 2027 third-round pick for Cousins, Schefter says. Cousins, 38, played for Minnesota for six seasons from 2018-2023, completing 67.9% of his 3,081 pass attempts for 171 touchdowns and 55 interceptions, overlapping with the start of head coach Kevin O’Connell’s tenure. He then spent two mediocre years in Atlanta and has started nine games for Las Vegas this year, completing 64.1% of his 315 pass attempts for 2,340 yards and 20 touchdowns with 8 interceptions for an upstart Raiders team. Cousins also has a $10 million roster bonus for the 2027 season that includes some big bonuses — a bridge the team and Cousins will have to cross later. MORE: Minnesota Vikings Coverage Through 9 weeks, only Tampa Bay has averaged fewer passing yards per game than Minnesota (160.8) and just seven teams have a lower team passer rating than the Vikings (82.0). Unsurprisingly, the Vikings offense has gained the fewest yards and fourth-fewest points in the NFL this season. On the other hand, Minnesota’s defense has allowed the fewest points and second-fewest yards in the NFL this season. Across six games this season, Murray has completed 64.9% of his 154 pass attempts for 1,022 yards with 5 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. That gives him a career-worst 44.7 quarterback rating and 86.6 passer rating. He’s still dealing with a hamstring strain. Across three games this season, Wentz has completed just 48.4% of his 64 pass attempts for 357 yards with 3 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. He’s also lost a fumble. The only other quarterback on the roster is undrafted second-year man Max Brosmer, who has thrown 78 career passes for 386 yards and 4 interceptions. RELATED: Inside the Vikings locker room after tough loss to Bills on Monday Night Football What’s Ahead? The team has until 3 p.m. (CT) to make any additional trades to bolster the roster. After rushing out to a 6-0 start that made them the last undefeated team in the NFL, the Vikings have lost two in a row and are now in third place in the incredibly tight NFC North. If the regular season ended today, the Vikings would be the 6th-seed in the playoffs. Next week, the Vikings play at their rival Green Bay Packers before traveling to Mexico City to play the San Francisco 49ers the following week, and critical contents against the New England Patriots, Detroit Lions and Chicago Bears also loom.