During a recent episode of Inside Football, Trey Wingo pitched the idea of the Minnesota Vikings trading for Kirk Cousins, and former Vikings receiver Cris Carter quickly shot the suggestion down.
“One of the most fascinating moves I think any team could make this year would be if the Vikings traded for Kirk Cousins,” Wingo said. “Like, if he’s going anywhere, that would be the place where he would go. I have no idea if the Vikings would even consider it. I have no idea how much the Raiders, as we alluded to, are willing to do it. But the idea of Kirk Cousins going back and playing quarterback with that defense and his understanding of that offense, that to me is one of the more fascinating moves any team could make this season.”
Carter, who played 12 of his 16 NFL seasons in Minnesota and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2013, responded as soon as Wingo finished.
“Trey, let me just pour a bucket of water on your little situation,” Carter said.
“Kirk Cousins is not coming back to Minnesota. The Vikings are not getting ready to trade for him to bring him back. That would upset their locker room. It would be totally against what they say they like to do. The new general manager, I spent some time with him. That’s not the environment that he is trying to create. They brought Kyler there with the plan. They are undefeated. Their plan is working, regardless if we don’t like it or not. They’re still a supermodel. So what? She’s got a little bump on her forehead. It’s just a little acne. It’ll go away in a couple days.”
Since early June, the Vikings’ front office has been run by general manager Nolan Teasley, who came over from the Seattle Seahawks after 13 seasons with the organization, the last three as assistant general manager. Teasley took over for Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, whom Minnesota fired on Jan. 30.
Heading into Week 8, the Vikings are 6-0 for the first time since 2009, with their latest win coming Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium, where Minnesota shook off another slow start and held on for a 16-10 victory over the Indianapolis Colts. Kyler Murray went 14-of-24 for 150 yards and a touchdown against Indianapolis and also picked up 39 yards on 5 carries.
The Vikings lead the league in both interceptions and sacks per pass attempt against them. Murray’s first season in Minnesota also got off to a rocky start, as a concussion knocked him out of his Week 1 debut against the Green Bay Packers and cost him Week 2. Carson Wentz started in his place and led the team to two straight victories.
“Denver last year rolled their defense,” Carter said later in the segment. “Houston rolled their defense. New England, for the most part, they rolled their defense. Defense can take you a long way. Kirk Cousins is not coming back to Minnesota. He took enough of our money with him when he left the last time.”
Cousins, who signed with Minnesota in 2018, went 50-37-1 over 88 starts across six seasons with the Vikings and posted a 101.2 passer rating during that stretch, though his final year with the team was cut short when he tore his Achilles in 2023. Cousins then left for the Atlanta Falcons in March 2024 on a four-year, $180M contract.
Cousins signed with the Raiders on April 2, two days after Raiders coach Klint Kubiak said publicly that he wanted to add another veteran quarterback to the roster, and the deal reunited him with a coach he worked with for three seasons in Minnesota, where Kubiak served as his quarterbacks coach and later his offensive coordinator from 2019 to 2021. Seven games into his first season with Las Vegas, Cousins has thrown a league-high 16 touchdown passes, and his 1,877 passing yards rank third in the NFL. The Raiders won each of their first three games of the year.
On Sunday, Las Vegas lost its fourth straight game, falling 35-21 to the Los Angeles Rams at Allegiant Stadium to drop to 3-4. Kubiak said the team is weighing everything, including a move to No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza, but he has committed to keeping Cousins as the starter for Week 8.
Wingo is not the only voice to raise the reunion idea, with former Raiders coach Jon Gruden also suggesting the Vikings should be thinking about bringing Cousins back. Vikings On SI’s Jason Harmon put the odds of a trade at under 5%.
The Raiders visit the New York Jets in Week 8 and host the San Francisco 49ers on Nov. 8, their final game before the Nov. 10 trade deadline.
