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After watching Carson Wentz put together an ugly performance under the primetime lights on Monday night against the Bills, the Vikings decided that enough was enough and brought back a familiar face to get the offense on track.
On Tuesday, NFL insider Tom Pelissero reported that the Vikings traded a 2027 third-round pick to the Raiders in exchange for veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins.
Blockbuster! The Raiders are trading four-time Pro Bowl QB Kirk Cousins to the Vikings for their 2027 third-round pick, sources tell @ringer @netflixsports.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) November 10, 2026
Cousins returns to Minnesota for the playoff push, while Las Vegas turns to No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza. pic.twitter.com/3SvmtZu6er
In the hours leading up to the deadline, there was speculation that the Vikings could bring Cousins back to the Twin Cities. But now it’s reality, as Minnesota will hopefully have some stability under center.
This season with the Raiders, Cousins is completing 64.1% of his passes for 2,340 passing yards, 20 touchdowns, and eight interceptions. With Cousins in the fold, the question now is what happens to the rest of the QB room, especially since he has a club option for $10 million, per Spotrac.
It’s not impossible to think that Cousins could start for the Purple and Gold not only this season, but also in 2027. But let’s discuss how this trade will impact the other QBs on the roster going forward.
The adage in sports is that your best ability is your availability. For Murray, he’s missed some time due to injury, including Week 9’s contest against the Bills due to a hamstring injury.
The last thing we heard about Murray’s injury is that it’s a grade 2 strain, and he could be out longer than just Monday night. If that’s the case, then it’s a no-brainer to go after Cousins.
When Murray was healthy and on the field, he didn’t exactly light the world on fire under center, completing 64.9% of his passes for 1,022 yards, five touchdowns, and three interceptions. Now, unlike Cousins, Murray has dual-threat ability as an advantage, rushing for 167 yards, but it still hasn’t taken his offense to another level.
In fact, Murray’s yards per pass attempt is sitting at 6.6, which is lower than Cousins' (7.4), and you could make the case that Murray has the better collection of talent around him, but for some reason it hasn’t led to explosive plays and consistency.
With Murray set to be a free agent at the end of this season, it’s likely he’s playing elsewhere in 2027 and not with the Purple and Gold.
Wentz could be the odd man out in Minnesota sooner rather than later, with Cousins coming back to Minneapolis. The Vikings will be projected to have four QBs on their 53-man roster, which is one too many.
The former North Dakota State star did not do himself any favors on Monday night, as he looked like a completely different QB than we saw earlier in the season. The 33-year-old quarterback completed a horrendous 32% of his passes (8-of-25) for 81 yards and two interceptions, which is shocking, given that the Bills’ defense isn’t that great to begin with.
However, Wentz’s latest performance goes in line with what the Vikings have dealt with this entire season at quarterback. The veteran quarterback is also set to become a free agent at the end of this season.
He, like Murray, will likely be playing elsewhere in 2027. But between the two, Murray has a better chance of finding a backup job.
The former undrafted free agent out of the University of Minnesota has been on the active roster since the end of September, but he’s clearly not this team’s backup of the future. Brosmer didn’t even make the 53-man roster out of training camp, as he was waived and re-signed to the taxi squad.
His preseason numbers were nothing to write home about this summer. Brosmer completed 59.3% of his passes for 269 yards and an interception. Minnesota might keep him around as a QB3/practice squad arm with Cousins returning, but his chances of seeing the field are slim to none.