After weeks of speculation about potential moves for a running back, an interior offensive lineman and a bit of help in the defensive backfield, the Vikings made a move to bring back an old flame. In the latest SKOLding Hot Take, Jonathan Pye breaks down Minnesota’s move for quarterback Kirk Cousins.
The Minnesota Vikings have traded their third-round selection in the 2027 draft in return for Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Kirk Cousins, returning him to Minnesota where he played between 2018 and 2023.
Cousins is now 38 and has been having a stellar year with the Raiders, who are 4–5 entering Week 10. He has thrown for 2,340 yards, 20 touchdowns, and eight interceptions, with a passer rating of 97.1.
While the Raiders do have Brock Bowers – arguably the best tight end in the league – they don’t have a stable running game, nor do they have a viable WR1 or 2, so what he’s done this season has been very impressive.
What can we expect?
For the first time since Sam Darnold left, we can expect comfortability in the pocket. The middle of the field will be open to be capitalised on. Cousins will throw interceptions because he pushes the ball downfield and does not have as big an arm as he did three years ago when he left.
Cousins doesn’t have elite mobility, but you can never doubt his toughness and his willingness to stand in the pocket, layer throws with accuracy, and progress through his reads. This is something that has been lacking since Week 18 of the 2024 season.
At the bare minimum, we can expect league-average quarterback play from him, and at worst, the 18th-best offense in the league. With the way our defense is playing, had Cousins played against the Lions and the Bills, there’s a high chance we would still be unbeaten.
What does it mean for Justin Jefferson?
Cousins and Jefferson had an excellent rapport and understanding on and off the field. With Cousins as quarterback, Jefferson averaged 98 yards a game, putting up 5,338 yards and scoring 29 touchdowns over the course of a 54-game stretch.
Jefferson is in the prime of his career and has effectively wasted a year and a half of production due to poor quarterback play. To his credit, he has remained professional and hasn’t complained. Even his complaints have simply been refusing to speak to the media after games, which he has done twice – against the Seahawks following the 24-0 loss last season in Week 13, and the Week 8 loss against the Lions.
I imagine if the Vikings do not contend in the playoffs this season or fail to make the big dance, that will be the last we see of “Jets” in a purple Vikings jersey. Is this move to get his old quarterback back a cry of desperation to keep the best receiver in the league happy, and an acceptance that the clock is ticking? After all he has done for the franchise, he has only played in two playoff games, and this is now his seventh year in the league. It is now or never. Importantly, bringing back Cousins should bring back Jefferson’s production and thus make the Vikings’ offense an NFL-calibre unit, which we have not been this season.
Questions to be asked of Coach O’Connell
Huge questions need to be asked of the head coach and offensive play-caller. Why did it have to get this bad? Is the only solution to make the offensive side of the ball good enough to ride the hot hand of the defense and be true Super Bowl contenders bringing back the 38-year-old quarterback that you let go three years prior?
Cousins has only had one playoff win in his career; however, to be fair to him, he has never had a defense this good – partially because he has the best agent in the world and was paid far too much for what he was. Desperate times call for desperate measures, and as someone who was part of the “Kirk out” cult for many a year, I could not be more thrilled that the Vikings have traded for him. He is not the man to overcome a poor defense and/or special teams, but he is more than capable of stacking numbers and being a top-15 quarterback even at 38, which is exactly what the Vikings need.
The so-called “quarterback whisperer” has made 18 different quarterback changes since the Achilles injury Cousins suffered at Lambeau Field in 2023. It appears that the Coach of the Year award O’Connell won in 2024 got to his ego, and he is a stubborn man who does not want to adapt his system to quarterbacks who simply are not good enough or who do not fit the scheme. It is time that he stopped calling plays and fired offensive coordinator Wes Phillips, who does not call plays – making us wonder what he actually does.
Timing of the trade and capital given up
The question needs to be asked: why did the Vikings wait until ten weeks into the season to trade for Cousins, when he was available in March as a free agent? He knows the system and is certainly a far better fit than Kyler Murray ever was.
Coach O’Connell has the obsession of a good offensive mind wanting to innovate and grow their reputation, but unfortunately, he went far too far trying to get a quarterback with mobility into the scheme. It is very nice that Kyler Murray can extend plays and avoid pressure; however, he struggles throwing on time over the middle of the field, which is key to the Coach’s offense.
Additionally, why was there a sham competition held at quarterback in training camp? The decision to move on from McCarthy, rightly or wrongly, was already made in O’Connell’s mind, and it set Kyler Murray up to fail by limiting his reps in camp. However, when all is said and done, giving up only a third-round pick for Kirk Cousins – a quarterback who has performed to a high level in the system, with limited guarantees and an easy way out next season – is a no-brainer. Does Cousins’ signing guarantee anything? No, but at least it gives the team and the fans some hope.
A boost in team morale
Cousins knows the system and should be ready to go for Sunday’s game at Lambeau Field – in some ways a must-win game, being divisional and with every team in the division being at least three wins above .500.
Having a competent offense again will give a huge boost in morale to the defense in particular, who have been fighting their tails off for weeks with no help from the other side of the ball. They will be physically and mentally tired. With the addition of Cousins, the Vikings should be able to give them more time off the field, allowing them to stay rested rather than running out of gas at the beginning of the fourth quarter and resorting to desperate attempt-to-force-fumbles situations.
Was bringing back Kirk Cousins the right move for the 2026 Minnesota Vikings? Let us know via email at UKVikingsFanClub@gmail.com or drop us a DM on any of our social media channels.