NFL trade deadline: Kirk Cousins returns to Vikings as Raiders hand starting job to Fernando Mendoza

Minnesota acquire veteran quarterback for 2027 pick

Cousins returns to Vikings after six seasons with team

No 1 pick Mendoza set to make first NFL start

NFL trade deadline 2026 – as it happened

Kirk Cousins is heading back to Minnesota.

The Vikings have acquired the veteran quarterback from the Las Vegas Raiders in exchange for a third-round pick in the 2027 draft, according to multiple reports, including from ESPN’s Adam Schefter and NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

The move reunites Cousins with the franchise with which he spent six seasons from 2018 to 2023 and gives Minnesota an experienced option under center as they look to revive their season. The Vikings got off to a 6-0 start to the season thanks to their standout defense, but have lost their last two games. Former No 1 overall pick Kyler Murray had been their starter, but he has been underwhelming in his first season in Minnesota. He missed Monday’s loss to the Buffalo Bills through injury and his replacement, Carson Wentz, threw two interceptions and was lucky to avoid another in a dreadful performance.

After Monday’s loss, Minnesota coach Kevin O’Connell admitted the team was looking at other options.

“We’ve had dialogue about a lot of different positions,” O’Connell said. “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.”

Cousins played two seasons under O’Connell in Minnesota, and made the Pro Bowl in 2022, throwing for 4,547 yards with 29 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. The Vikings’ star receiver, Justin Jefferson, also thrived with Cousins in that season, leading the league in catches (128) and receiving yards (1,809).

However, at the age of 38, Cousins is not a long-term solutions at quarterback for the Vikings, who have struggled on offense despite Jefferson’s talents.

For Las Vegas, the trade clears the way for No 1 overall draft pick Fernando Mendoza to take over as starting quarterback. The Raiders, who sit at 4-5, will throw the rookie straight into the deep end, with his first two scheduled NFL starts coming against two of the league’s toughest defenses in Seattle and Denver.

Elsewhere ahead of Tuesday’s trade deadline, the San Francisco 49ers reportedly acquired Indianapolis Colts’ veteran receiver Keenan Allen in return for a sixth-round selection in the 2027 draft. The 49ers are 7-1 this season but have suffered injuries to their receiving corps. The 34-year-old Allen has the eighth-most receptions in NFL history.

Indianapolis also traded away wide receiver Josh Downs and a 2027 seventh-round pick to the Kansas City Chiefs in exchange for fourth- and fifth-round selections in the same draft, according to multiple reports. Downs, a speedy former third-round pick out of North Carolina, had 2,494 yards and 12 touchdowns in three-and-a-half seasons with the Colts.

Meanwhile, the Bills are set to shore their struggling secondary with a move for Tennessee Titans safety Amani Hooker. ESPN and NFL Network report that the Titans will receive a second- and fifth-round pick for Hooker. Last season, the 28-year-old had a career best five interceptions for the Titans, who drafted him in 2019.