The Kirk Cousins trade looked simple from the outside: a 2027 third-round pick, and a 38-year-old quarterback goes back to Minnesota. The details that came out Tuesday night show it took a lot more than that.
The biggest one came from The Ringer’s Tom Pelissero. Before agreeing to the deal, the Raiders let Cousins decide whether he wanted to stay or go.
The Raiders gave Kirk Cousins the chance to decide whether to stay or go.
Cousins chose to rejoin the Vikings for a playoff push — and a chance to rewrite his complicated legacy at age 38.
That and more post-trade deadline nuggets in The Sweep: https://t.co/xqBFSqFWsP pic.twitter.com/7Iy9HESL2s
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) November 11, 2026
Cousins made the call
Pelissero called it a rare move, especially for a player who had been with the team less than eight months. Once the trade terms were in place, Cousins talked it over with his family, his longtime agent Mike McCartney and Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell, according to Pelissero’s newsletter.
By midday Tuesday, Cousins told Raiders general manager John Spytek he wanted to go back to Minnesota. Pelissero reported Cousins liked the Raiders and his teammates, including rookie Fernando Mendoza, who now takes over as the starter. But the chance at a playoff push, and at rewriting his Vikings legacy, won out.
Spytek said he hadn’t planned to trade Cousins and didn’t shop him before Minnesota called Tuesday morning, per NFL.com. He called it a hard decision.
The asking price started higher
The Raiders didn’t start at a third. Jordan Schultz reported Las Vegas first asked for a second-round pick.
The #Vikings had a crazy day calling around the league for QBs before landing on Kirk Cousins.
It wasn’t simple, as the Raiders’ initial asking price was a 2nd-round pick.
My reporting ⬇️ https://t.co/UwF8tA0bJF pic.twitter.com/lR5iEzuABg
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) November 11, 2026
Then the Raiders asked for the third-round pick Minnesota got from the Eagles in the Jonathan Greenard trade, Schultz said. The Vikings said no to that, too. The final deal sends Minnesota’s own 2027 third-rounder to Las Vegas, per Pelissero.
The Vikings called everyone
Minnesota didn’t only call about Cousins. Schultz reported the Vikings also asked about Justin Herbert, Daniel Jones and Geno Smith. The Chargers shut down any Herbert talks right away, and the Giants said Smith wasn’t available, according to Yardbarker’s summary of Schultz’s reporting.
Cousins was the top target all along. Schultz reported that Vikings ownership and O’Connell pushed hard to bring him back.
What sped it up was Monday night. After the 23-6 loss to the Bills, talks picked up Tuesday morning, Pelissero reported. The Vikings are 6-2 but rank 31st in total offense and passing yards, per Yardbarker.
The money
Minnesota takes on Cousins’ minimum base salary for the rest of the season and a $10 million guaranteed roster bonus due next March, Pelissero reported. The Raiders said the trade is pending a physical.
The Vikings also cut Odell Beckham Jr. to open a roster spot for him.
Why it could work
Cousins knows this offense. In 2022, his first year with O’Connell, he threw for 4,547 yards and 29 touchdowns and went 13-4, NFL.com noted. This season in Las Vegas, he threw for 2,340 yards, 20 touchdowns and eight interceptions with a 97.1 passer rating in nine starts, per the Raiders.
ESPN gave the Vikings an A for the deal. For our grade, see our trade deadline winners and losers. The full trade story is in our Kirk Cousins trade breakdown.
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