NFL Network: Vikings to trade for Raiders QB Kirk Cousins on deadline day

Minnesota has its new -- and old -- quarterback. 

The Vikings are acquiring Kirk Cousins from the Las Vegas Raiders in exchange for a 2027 third-round draft pick, NFL Network Insiders Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo and ESPN's Adam Schefter reported on Tuesday.

The trade brings Cousins, 38, back to the club he played for from 2018 to 2023 and reunites him with head coach Kevin O'Connell, who was in charge for Cousins' final two years as a Viking. 

Cousins' first season under O'Connell was one of his finest as a pro, as he threw for 4,547 yards, 29 touchdowns and 14 interceptions while going 13-4 in 2022. Minnesota will desperately be hoping for more of the same from Cousins after its QB situation disintegrated to a point that it was threatening to tank to team's season.

Despite the Vikings boasting the top scoring defense in the league, a relentless pressure machine that batters opponents and keeps them off the scoreboard, the offense has been a travesty. That unit ranks 27th in points, 31st in yards and 31st in passing.

The Vikings have scored 16 points or less in five of their eight games -- including the last three. It hasn't mattered if Kyler Murray or Carson Wentz was under center, and J.J. McCarthy, drafted to replace Cousins in 2024, flunked out of O'Connell's quarterback school and was traded to the Giants on Sept. 28.

Thus, Cousins returns to replace his replacement. 

The four-time Pro Bowler has played remarkably well for Las Vegas this season. More than just a placeholder for No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza, he's thrown for 2,340 yards, 20 touchdowns and eight interceptions while leading the Raiders to a 4-5 record, a much better spot than most would have predicted and on the playoff bubble midway through the season.

Mendoza now takes over for the Silver and Black hoping to keep them competitive down the stretch and prove himself worthy of being the top pick in the 2026 draft. A Heisman trophy winner and national champion at Indiana, Mendoza has made one prior appearance this season, entering a blowout loss to the Patriots and throwing for 48 yards on 6-of-8 passing.

The future is now for the Raiders, while a blast from the past returns to the Vikings hoping to rescue an offense in dire need of saving.