In Kirk Cousins, the Vikings landed their first choice

Published November 10, 2026 09:09 PM After last night’s abysmal performance by the offense against the Bills, the Vikings mobilized to trade for a quarterback. Ultimately, they got the guy they wanted.Per a source with knowledge of the situation, Kirk Cousins was Minnesota’s first choice.The Vikings explored other options. Multiple players, including fellow former Vikings quarterback Daniel Jones.Cousins’s history with the team makes it easier to get him up to speed. He had 25 regular-season games with coach Kevin O’Connell, and four seasons with receiver Justin Jefferson.The existence of options may have helped the Vikings keep the compensation to only a third-round pick. Given the level of desperation, the Vikings seemed destined to give up more than that to fix a problem that threatened to implode the season. That’s not an overstatement. The dam was breaking. Frustration was rampant during the debacle against the Bills, on both sides of the ball.It was a simple proposition. If the Vikings didn’t trade for a quarterback on Tuesday, they could not be considered a serious franchise.In the end, they managed to stop the bleeding by sending their third-round pick (their own, not the one they acquired from the Eagles for defensive end Jonathan Greenard) to the Raiders for Cousins.It’s unclear how much better things will be with Cousins back in the fold. It can’t get worse than what they put on the field for Week 9.