The Las Vegas Raiders are not expected to have interest in moving on from Kirk Cousins.
Cousins has been the steady hand that got Las Vegas back to .500 for the first time in years. The team sits at 4-4 after a 38-33 win at the New York Jets in Week 8 that snapped a four-game skid and kept slim playoff hopes alive heading into the Nov. 10 trade deadline.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter addressed the speculation Monday on “UNSPORTSMANLIKE.”
“The Raiders are at .500 for the first time in years,” Schefter said. “They’re relevant; they’re winning. He’s an example for Mendoza.”
Schefter then questioned the value of any deal.
“What are you going to get back for Kirk Cousins? I’m making this up again. I haven’t asked them. A [fourth-round pick]? Is that worth it to destroy the morale of your team and take away a mentor for Fernando? I don’t think so.”
That view lines up with how the Raiders have operated all season. Cousins has thrown for 2,124 yards with 19 touchdowns and five interceptions through eight games. He ranks second in the NFL in touchdown passes and third in yards among qualifiers while posting a 101.4 passer rating.
Pro Football Focus graded him at 76.5 on 329 pass snaps, with 10 big-time throws against seven turnover-worthy plays. Those numbers have given coach Klint Kubiak a reliable starter while No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza develops on the sideline.
One potential suitor who has been mentioned for Cousins is his old team, the Minnesota Vikings.
Minnesota’s offense remains a problem. Kyler Murray finished 17-of-29 for 210 yards, two touchdowns and an interception with an 89.7 rating in the loss to Detroit. He connected on just three of eight targets to Jordan Addison and five of nine to Justin Jefferson.
That prompted Colin Cowherd of The Volume to push for a deal.
“Go get Kirk Cousins,” Cowherd said. “There’s too much talent here. You’re looking at a 0-4 stretch with Kyler Murray, who I thought was going to be better than Sam Darnold.”
Cowherd continued: “I’m not saying he’s great, but you’ll win games with him, and they are. Am I off my rocker? Go give up a second- and third-round pick and go get Kirk Cousins.”
From the Raiders’ side, that price still looks light. A second- and third-rounder would not offset the loss of a veteran who has stabilized the offense and modeled the preparation Mendoza needs.
Schefter also downplayed the broader market for starting quarterbacks before the deadline.
“I think Jacoby Brissett would be in play now, obviously, but he’s not a starting quarterback,” he said. “I guess the question I wonder is, yesterday there were questions about Daniel Jones. The Colts said they’re sticking with him. Would that be a guy that some team would check in on?”
He added: “By the way, who’s to say that on Sunday somebody doesn’t lose a quarterback and then trade for a starter? There are no absolutes, but I don’t see that right now outside of a Jacoby Brissett or a Daniel Jones.”
The Raiders open the week as double-digit underdogs at the San Francisco 49ers. Another win would further quiet the trade talk. A loss would not suddenly make a modest offer attractive for a player who has already delivered the production and leadership the organization wanted when it signed him in the spring.
