Kirk Cousins is back with the Vikings after a two-and-a-half-year hiatus with the Falcons and Raiders. While the 38-year-old quarterback has not yet taken a snap for Minnesota in 2026, the club has already expressed an interest in retaining him beyond the current season.
Before agreeing to send a third-round pick to Las Vegas in exchange for Cousins on Tuesday (the day of the trade deadline), the Vikings spoke with Cousins’ agent, Mike McCartney, as ESPN’s Ian Rapoport writes. According to Rapoport, they wanted to see if Cousins is open to signing a new contract with them in the offseason, and McCartney confirmed his client is amenable.
In a Pro Football Rumors Front Office piece detailing the Vikes’ unorthodox approach to the quarterback position over the course of their existence, our Sam Robinson suggested Cousins’ second stint with Minnesota could extend beyond 2026. With Cousins back under center on the heels of a strong nine-game stretch with the Raiders, the 6-2 Vikings and their fierce defense have a good chance of qualifying for the playoffs. That will make it more difficult to draft a franchise passer in 2027, and the ‘27 class of college QBs is not looking as promising as it once did anyway.
Plus, Kyler Murray and Carson Wentz have failed to impress this season, and Murray’s latest injury, together with Wentz’s poor performance in Week 9, is what prompted the Vikings to pursue a Cousins reunion in the first place (per The Ringer’s Tom Pelissero, Murray is also several weeks away from being able to return from his Grade 2 hamstring strain). It seems fair to assume Minnesota will not be interested in re-signing either player for anything other than a backup role.
Of course, as ESPN’s Kevin Seifert notes, a new contract for Cousins will not be a straightforward affair. By completing the trade, the Vikings have inherited a fully-guaranteed $10MM roster bonus that will come due in March. Two days after that, a two-year, $80MM option (also fully-guaranteed) will vest if Cousins remains on the roster.
Per Rapoport, the $10MM roster bonus figure would simply be “baked in” to any new contract, as Cousins’ pay on a re-up would surely exceed that number. Of course, this is all contingent upon Cousins continuing to play well for the remainder of the ‘26 slate and proving he is worthy of another lucrative deal.
The Raiders, meanwhile, are pivoting to Fernando Mendoza, the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft. As Rapoport details in a separate piece, Las Vegas was planning to insert Mendoza into the starting lineup soon, even if Cousins was still on the roster.
Recent reports had suggested Las Vegas wanted to keep Cousins as its QB1 for as long as possible, though it always seemed there was a good chance that a player with Mendoza’s pedigree and upside would get a shot at some point in 2026. The reigning Heisman Trophy winner does have a tall task, as his first two games as a starter will come against the Seahawks and Broncos.
Rapoport says, if the Raiders had kept Cousins and lost the Seattle and Denver contests to fall to 4-7, Mendoza would have gotten the call against the Browns in Week 12.
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