Vikings Identify Kirk Cousins as Prime Trade Target Hours Before Deadline

The Vikings' search for a quarterback has a name, and it's a familiar one. Minnesota has identified Raiders quarterback Kirk Cousins as a prime trade candidate ahead of Tuesday's 4 p.m. ET deadline, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported.

The urgency comes from Monday night. Carson Wentz, starting in place of the injured Kyler Murray, completed 8 of 25 passes for 81 yards with two interceptions in a 23-6 loss to the Bills. His 2.3 QBR was the lowest by any quarterback this season. The Vikings (6-2) have been held without a touchdown three times, and their 11 offensive touchdowns are tied with the winless Chargers. Murray has been out with a hamstring injury that Kevin O'Connell called week-to-week.

"We've had dialogue about a lot of different positions," O'Connell said after the loss when asked about adding a quarterback.

Cousins knows the system. He played two seasons for O'Connell in Minnesota and made the Pro Bowl in 2022, when he threw for 4,547 yards and 29 touchdowns and Justin Jefferson led the NFL with 128 catches and 1,809 yards. This season he has started all nine games for Las Vegas, completing 64.1% of his passes for 2,340 yards with 20 touchdowns and eight interceptions.

The question is whether the Raiders will deal. As recently as the weekend, they had not received inquiries and weren't interested in moving Cousins, planning to start him until No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza is ready. At 4-5 after Sunday's loss to the 49ers, that calculation may be shifting. Minnesota visits Green Bay on Sunday.