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By Brian Jones
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The Las Vegas Raiders are trading quarterback Kirk Cousins back to the NFC.
According to ESPN's Adam Schefter and NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the Raiders will trade Cousins to the Minnesota Vikings for a 2027 third-round pick. Schefter also said rookie Fernando Mendoza will take over as the Raiders' starting quarterback.
In April, the Raiders signed Cousins to a five-year contract worth $172 million. He joined Las Vegas after spending the last two seasons with the Atlanta Falcons.
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Through nine games this season, Cousins has completed 64.1% of his passes for 2,340 yards, 20 touchdowns, and eight interceptions. He led the Raiders to a 4-5 record this season.
Cousins is very familiar with the Vikings, as he played for the franchise from 2018 to 2023. During that time, the 38-year-old was selected to the Pro Bowl three times and led Minnesota to two playoff appearances.
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Cousins left the Vikings as a free agent to sign a four-year, $180 million contract with the Falcons. Shortly after Atlanta signed Cousins, the team drafted Michael Penix Jr. in the 2024 first round, which reportedly caused a rift between Cousins and the organization. Cousins played in 22 games before the Falcons released him after the 2025 season.
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Cousins began his NFL career in 2012, when Washington selected him in the fourth round of the draft. He became the full-time starter in 2015 and was selected to his first Pro Bowl in 2016 after throwing for 4,917 yards and 25 touchdowns.
On Tuesday afternoon, Schefter, Rapoport, and NFL Network's Mike Garafolo reported that the Vikings were targeting Cousins ahead of the trade deadline. Minnesota is currently 6-2 but have failed to score a touchdown in three games this year.
On Monday night, the Vikings lost to the Buffalo Bills 23-6, and Carson Wentz was the starting quarterback. Wentz completed just eight of his 25 passes for 81 yards while throwing two interceptions. The Vikings also have Kyler Murray and Max Brosmer on the roster.
"We've had dialogue about a lot of different positions," coach Kevin O'Connell said after the game when asked about the possibility of making a trade for a quarterback. "Tight turnaround, obviously, playing the Monday night game, and we'll get right to work on any potential moves that can be there. But really just focused on the game tonight, which was not good enough in any way, shape, or form."
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