After their loss to the Bills on Monday night, one thing was clear: Minnesota had to make a move at quarterback. Tuesday, the Vikings would do exactly that, as they traded for a familiar face in quarterback Kirk Cousins. In order to acquire Cousins, they sent away a 2027 third-round pick to the Raiders.

Vikings Quarterback Play Has Been Bottom Five In The NFL

Vikings Quarterback Play Has Been One Of The Worst In The NFL
Sep 13, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kyler Murray (1) runs the ball against the Green Bay Packers during the first half at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

While the fifteen-year veteran is not perfect, heā€™s never had the best physical traits but more so had just enough to get the job done. And those middle-of-the-pack physical traits have only gotten worse as heā€™s gotten older and after tearing his Achilles in the 2023 season with Minnesota.

Even with all that being said, Cousins gives Minnesota a big upgrade at quarterback. This season the Vikings have started Kyler Murray or Carson Wentz at QB and both haven’t even played at an average level.

Among quarterbacks with at least 100 dropbacks, Murray ranks 24th or lower when it comes to EPA/Play, total EPA, and success percentage out of 36 QBā€™s per Sumer Sports. Out of 42 qualified quarterbacks, Wentz ranks 37th and 42nd in EPA/Play, total EPA, and success percentage among quarterbacks with a minimum of 50 dropbacks per Sumer Sports.

Vikings Poor Quarterback Play Has Handicapped Their Offense

Minnesota’s poor quarterback play has brought down their offense as a whole. According to Next Gen Stats, the Vikings offense ranks 32nd in successful plays and rate of reaching the red zone.

They rank 31st in success rate and 30th in EPA per play. Minnesota is the only team in the NFL that has reached the red zone on under 20 percent of their drives.

Kirk Cousins Gives The Vikings A Major Upgrade At Quarterback

Kirk Cousins Gives The Vikings A Big Upgrade At Quarterback
Nov 8, 2026; Santa Clara, California, USA; Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Kirk Cousins (8) throws a pass during the fourth quarter against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

Cousins easily clears both Murray and Wentz level of play this year. Minnesota’s former quarterback has played at an above-average level this season.

Cousins ranks 11th or 12th in EPA/Play, total EPA, and success percentage among quarterbacks with at least 100 dropbacks per Sumer Sports. While the four-time pro bowler canā€™t create much out of structure and has to anticipate throwing windows quicker than most QBā€™s to make up for his average arm strength, that’s on the decline.

Cousins on the year has a 67th percentile EPA/dropback, while the Vikings as of this moment have a 14th percentile dropback offense per Sumer Sports. Cousins has also reached an EPA/dropback above the 65th percentile in five games this season. In comparison to Minnesota who between Murray and Wentz have zero games this year above that mark per Sumer Sports.

Kirk Cousins Already Has Chemistry With Vikings Best Weapons

Kirk Cousins Already Has Chemistry With Vikings Receivers
Oct 9, 2022; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson (18) and quarterback Kirk Cousins (8) warm up before the game against the Chicago Bears at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TOā€¦ | Source: Lastwordonsports.com – Michael Zimmelman, Editor

This trade also makes perfect sense for the Vikings since Cousins already has chemistry with their top weapons. Cousins played for Minnesota with Justin Jefferson from 2020-2023 and Jordan Addison during his rookie year in 2023. In three healthy seasons with Cousins, we saw Jefferson have 324 receptions, 4,825 yards, and 25 touchdowns from 2020-2022.

The only other time weā€™ve seen Jefferson have production near this level was in 2024 when Sam Darnold was the Vikings quarterback. Addison, as a rookie, was on pace for over 1,000 yards and 15 touchdowns with Cousins at quarterback before he went down with his Achilles tear.

Addison was good with Darnold, having 63 receptions for 875 yards and 9 touchdowns in 2024. But the most productive version of Addison weā€™ve seen was with Cousins.

Kirk Cousins Familiarity With Kevin O’Connell Could Help Vikings Hit The Ground Running

Kirk Cousins Familiarity With Kevin O'Connell Is A Important Factor
Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin Oā€™Connell and quarterback Kirk Cousins (8) stand on the field during the second half of an Oct. 29, 2023, game against the Green Bay Packers in Green Bay. (AP Photo/Matt Ludtke)

Typically, quarterback trades donā€™t happen at the deadline because a QB learning an entirely new offense in the middle of the season is a hard task to tackle. This wonā€™t be an issue with Cousins as he already knows the verbiage of Kevin Oā€™Connellā€™s offense.

Cousins has history with Oā€™Connell dating all the way back to 2017. During his final season with the Redskins, Cousins’ quarterbacks coach was Oā€™Connell. Then, from 2022-2023, he played under the playcalling of Oā€™Connell.

There’s going to be little to no acclimation period for Cousins playing in the Vikings’ offense. Meaning itā€™s more likely than other deadline quarterback trades for the offense to hit the ground running.

End Of Vikings Trading For Kirk Cousins Rant

Minnesotaā€™s quarterback situation going into the trade deadline was not good enough to win a playoff game, let alone make a deep playoff run. Cousins is not without his flaws, but the Vikings don’t even need him to play at a top ten level.

With a top-three defense coached by defensive mastermind Brian Flores. If Cousins can play at a 12th-16th best quarterback in the league level, Minnesota becomes a more serious threat to go on a run.