Kirk Cousins arrived at the Minnesota Vikings practice facility in Eagan on Wednesday to begin his second tenure with the team, carrying a clear condition for any trade this season. The 38 year old quarterback did not want to make a completely unfamiliar move.
“I’m not too interested in completely starting over,” Cousins said after his arrival at the facility.
A telephone conversation with Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell on Tuesday afternoon convinced Cousins to accept a trade from the Las Vegas Raiders. Minnesota acquired Cousins in exchange for a 2027 third round draft pick, adding a starting quarterback who is familiar with the offensive system.
This will be the third time Cousins and O’Connell have worked together, including O’Connell’s time as quarterbacks coach for the Washington Commanders. Their previous experience was central to Cousins’ comfort with the move.
“Kevin knows me,” Cousins said. “Kevin knows what I do well. Kevin knows what I don’t do well. Kevin knows what I can handle. Kevin knows what I can’t handle. And I think that helps, not just that he knows your strengths, but that he knows your weaknesses and that as a result he’s going to try to protect you and not have you do things that he knows, ‘You know what, that’s not how Kirk functions. That’s not his best chance of success.'”
Cousins added: “And I think the fact that he knows me well, the good about me and the bad about me. I think should help us.”
O’Connell did not confirm that Cousins will start Sunday against the Green Bay Packers. The Vikings coach said the team is moving in that direction while also considering how Cousins feels about the quick transition.
“That’s what we’re working towards, but also want to be fair to Kirk and make sure he feels good about it,” O’Connell said.
Packers coach Matt LaFleur expressed confidence that Cousins would be on the field in Green Bay. “Yeah. He’ll be out there. He’ll be starting. I’m fairly confident of that,” LaFleur said.
Week 1 starter Kyler Murray remains sidelined by a strained hamstring. Backup Carson Wentz, who has an ankle issue, was projected to be limited if the Vikings had practiced Wednesday.
O’Connell also did not immediately commit to Wentz as Cousins’ backup. He said No. 3 quarterback Max Brosmer’s “growth and development is ongoing,” while Murray will serve as Cousins’ backup once he is healthy.
“I believe in Kyler,” O’Connell said, “just like I believe in Carson. I believe in Max. I want him to get healthy and get back to work because you just never know. We do not hold the cards on how this will go from a health standpoint or anything like that with anybody on our team.”
The Vikings did not practice Wednesday, but Cousins spent the morning with O’Connell reviewing the offensive scheme and beginning game plan discussions. Minnesota has lost consecutive games after a 6-0 start and knows its offense must improve to secure a playoff spot and make a run to the Super Bowl.
Through Week 9, the Vikings have the NFL’s second worst offense based on expected points added, or EPA. General manager Nolan Teasley said the roster had earned the opportunity to see how far the team could go.
“This roster has earned the right to explore the potential to maximize where we can take this thing,” Teasley said.
Comfort away from football also mattered to Cousins. He recalled telling his wife, Julie, about the trade on Tuesday and asking what she and their two sons wanted to do.
“I was hoping [Julie and their two sons] were going to come with me,” Cousins said. “But I said, ‘What are you thinking, Julie?’ I know it was her call. And she said, ‘I don’t think we can pull the boys out of school and baseball and their friends.’ And she picked them up from school and she said, ‘Here’s the situation. Dad got traded to the Minnesota Vikings. What would you guys want to do?’ And they looked at her and they said, ‘Let’s go.’ So they’re [at the team hotel], and they’re ready and excited for the next several weeks.”