Raiders Quarterback Welcomed With Open Arms In Minnesota

The Las Vegas Raiders traded veteran starting quarterback Kirk Cousins to the Minnesota Vikings, and the Vikings welcomed him back with open arms, according to a report from Kevin Seifert of ESPN. 

Cousins played in Minnesota back in 2023, and the reactions were uniformly positive. The Vikings have been getting some sketchy quarterback play so far, but they’re still 6-2 thanks to their defense, which has limited opponents to just 116 points in eight games for an average of 14.5 points per game.

Right tackle Brian O’Neill said the move got him “hyped,” while rookie safety Jakobe Thomas gave up his No. 8 to Cousins free of charge, which isn’t the way these things typically work. Thomas added that he just wanted the new quarterback to “come help us win games."

The Vikings have lost back-to-back games after going undefeated in their first six contests, and quarterback Carson Wentz submitted an unwatchable performance on Monday night against the Buffalo Bills. 

Wentz went just 8-for-25 for 81 yards and two interceptions, and Minnesota is fairly sure that Cousins can improve on that given that he was the NFL leader in touchdown passes for most of the season with the Raiders. 

Cousins’ new favorite target will be receiver Justin Jefferson, who’s been badly neglected to date. He has just 31 catches for 393 yards and four touchdowns, and we all know what Jefferson can do with a real quarterback using him properly, as the receiver noted the “joy” he felt when Cousins took over as a leader in the meeting room. 

There are still questions about how much Cousins can elevate the Minnesota offense, but those are irrelevant at the moment. The Vikings are looking for simple competence to start, and they know Cousins can provide that. 

Cousins final stat line with the Raiders had him with a completion percentage of 64.1 percent as he threw ofr 2,340 yards  and 20 touchdowns and eight interceptions. 

Compare that with the underwhelming performance of former starter Kyler Murray, who threw for 1,022 yards with five touchdowns and three interceptions, which got him what was called a “soft benching” after he sustained a hamstring injury that led to the Wentz debacle. 

As for the Raiders, they probably won’t get Cousins-level production from new starter Fernando Mendoza, but they’re fine with that initially. It’s all about development for Las Vegas in the second half of the season as they made the inevitable move that bumped up Mendoza to starter status.