The Minnesota Vikings needed a quarterback before the trade deadline passed, so they made a deal to acquire Kirk Cousins from the Las Vegas Raiders on Tuesday afternoon.
The Vikings' defense is the best in the NFL, but the offense has struggled mightily with Kyler Murray and Carson Wentz combining to start eight games this season. As a result, the team believes Cousins can add some consistency to a unit that desperately needs quality quarterback play to contend in the NFC.
Typically, teams with Super Bowl aspirations are not able to acquire championship-caliber quarterbacks midseason, but the Vikings represent a unique situation. Minnesota's dominance on defense means that the offense doesn't need to win shootouts, but that unit still needs to score points in order for the defense to carry them the rest of the way.
Cousins returns to Minnesota, where he spent six seasons from 2018 to 2023 and led the team to multiple playoff appearances. The veteran will be a welcome addition for a city desperate for a quality quarterback.
Here's a look at the Vikings' new quarterback depth chart following this move.
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Vikings QB depth chart
| Rank | Player |
| 1. | Kirk Cousins |
| 2. | Kyler Murray |
| 3. | Carson Wentz |
| 4. | Max Brosmer |
Cousins should take over as the starter moving forward, stepping in to take over the offense from the rest of the group. The veteran started nine games for the Raiders, throwing 20 touchdowns while showing he still has something left in the tank. It helps that Cousins played for Kevin O'Connell in 2022 and 2023, so there is familiarity there with the coaching staff.
The Vikings signed Murray on a cheap one-year deal this season, hoping the former Cardinals quarterback would stabilize the offense. Instead, Murray's limitations have been prevalent as the offense has failed to find any consistency. With Murray under center, Minnesota has yet to score 23 points in a game, and his production wasn't getting better before he suffered a hamstring injury in Week 8. Now that the Vikings added a new quarterback, Murray will likely take a back seat as the backup.
Wentz filled in admirably for Murray in the first two weeks of the season, but he was a disaster on Monday night as the Vikings lost to the Bills in a blowout. The veteran quarterback had one of the worst performances in recent memory, and it may have cost him a chance to stay as the starter moving forward. Additionally, with Cousins now in the fold, Wentz's spot on the roster itself could be in jeopardy if the Vikings don't want to keep four quarterbacks.
Rounding out the Vikings' depth chart is Max Brosmer, who has limited experience, joining the team as an undrafted free agent last year. Brosmer did start two games in 2025, struggling mightily in both appearances, and has otherwise come off the bench as a backup. He will likely stick around for depth reasons, one way or another.
MORE: Vikings QB timeline has been bumpy since 2023
What Kirk Cousins trade means for Justin Jefferson
Cousins will be Jefferson's fifth quarterback in the last two seasons, joining Murray, Wentz, Brosmer and J.J. McCarthy. However, Minnesota hopes that Cousins will be able to unlock Jefferson in a way that hasn't been the case since the team went 14-3 in the 2024 season.
From 2020-2023, Jefferson and Cousins were a lethal duo, as the wide receiver had at least 1,400 receiving yards in their first three seasons together. In 2022, which was the last time the two played a full season together, Jefferson led the NFL in both catches and receiving yards, which resulted in him winning the AP Offensive Player of the Year award.
Jefferson has not shown any interest in leaving the Vikings, but if the quarterback issues persist, the wide receiver could decide to ask for a trade in the offseason. Therefore, it's crucial that Cousins stabilizes the position, not only so the Vikings have a chance to make the playoffs but also so Jefferson feels good about the direction of the franchise moving forward.
If Cousins can lead the Vikings to the playoffs, it should satisfy Jefferson enough that Vikings fans don't have to worry about potentially losing him in the near future. But if Minnesota continues to go in the wrong direction, it risks potentially losing the trust in their best player.
