The Minnesota Vikings reacquired quarterback Kirk Cousins in a trade with the Las Vegas Raiders on Tuesday, sending a 2027 third-round pick to Las Vegas, according to ESPN and Yahoo Sports.

The deal came together quickly: Raiders general manager John Spytek said trade talks between the teams did not materialize until Tuesday, and that he was not actively looking to trade Cousins until the most important call came from Vikings GM Nolan Teasley.

With the trade, 2026 No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza takes over as the Raiders' starting quarterback this week at home against the Seattle Seahawks, with Aidan O'Connell as his backup. Cousins posted a goodbye to Raiders fans on Instagram, writing, "Thank you Raiders Nation! Go get em @fernandomendoza."

The trade came less than 24 hours after Carson Wentz turned in what ESPN reports was the worst performance by a Vikings quarterback since 2006, compiling a 2.3 QBR while completing 8 of 25 passes for 81 yards with three turnovers in a 23-6 Monday night loss to Buffalo.

Wentz was starting for Kyler Murray, who sat out with a Grade 2 hamstring strain and has struggled in his own right, ranking No. 27 in QBR at 45.7 per ESPN.

The Vikings have lost consecutive games after a 6-0 start, managing only 19 points over that stretch while their defense and special teams rank among the NFL's best. Yahoo Sports notes the only thing separating the team from legitimate Super Bowl contention was competent quarterback play.

NBC Sports' Pro Football Talk reports that Cousins was Minnesota's first choice among the quarterbacks it explored, with multiple players including former Vikings quarterback Daniel Jones also considered.

According to NBC Sports, the existence of alternatives may have helped the Vikings hold compensation to only a third-round pick — their own, not the one acquired from the Eagles for defensive end Jonathan Greenard — despite a level of desperation that seemed destined to cost more.

Cousins's familiarity with the franchise eased the fit: he played 25 regular-season games under coach Kevin O'Connell and four seasons with receiver Justin Jefferson, who set career bests with 128 catches and 1,809 yards in 2022 while playing with Cousins, per ESPN.

Cousins, 38, rebounded from two years of struggles following a torn Achilles suffered in 2023 to throw 20 touchdown passes this season for the Raiders, the second most in the NFL and behind only Joe Burrow, according to ESPN and Yahoo Sports.

In nine starts he threw for 2,340 yards with eight interceptions, completing 64.1% of his passes with a 98 passer rating.

ESPN reports Cousins was always intended as a placeholder until Mendoza was ready, and his play helped the Raiders rank eighth in points per game after finishing dead last a season ago, as Yahoo Sports notes.

At 4-5, Las Vegas remained in playoff contention, which is why Spytek said the decision was not easy: "We [were] all staring the future in the face here with Fernando."

The Vikings have cycled through quarterbacks ever since Cousins left for Atlanta in free agency in spring 2024, and ESPN reports they have had eight different quarterbacks start a game since then, with the NFL's second-worst team QBR (36.3) since the start of 2025.

The mishandling of the position contributed heavily to the firing of former general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah in January. Sam Darnold and Daniel Jones both departed as free agents believing the Vikings would commit to J.J.

McCarthy, but Minnesota gave up on McCarthy this summer after only 10 starts; Darnold won Super Bowl LX with Seattle, while McCarthy has led the Giants to wins in his first two starts.

The Vikings released Odell Beckham Jr. on Tuesday to clear a roster spot for Cousins, and ESPN reports Beckham will re-sign to the practice squad.

The Vikings visit the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field on Sunday, and Yahoo Sports notes that if Cousins starts, it would mark his first start with the franchise since Week 8 of the 2023 season — coincidentally also against the Packers at Lambeau Field.

Unless the Vikings work out a change to his contract, ESPN reports they owe Cousins the remainder of his $1.3 million base salary this season plus a $10 million roster bonus this spring.

Yahoo Sports cautions that success is not guaranteed: Cousins looked like a diminished player last year and does not have the strongest track record in big games. Still, with an elite defense in place, the trade gives Minnesota its best chance to win the Super Bowl in 2026, per Yahoo Sports.