Conor Orr is willing to spend Minnesota’s first-round pick on a quarterback the Vikings already know. The Sports Illustrated reporter wants the franchise to call Las Vegas about Kirk Cousins, betting that a reunion could give a team that entered Monday at 6–1 a better chance to win in January.

Conor Orr Wants Vikings To Spend a 1st-Rounder on Kirk Cousins

“Why not trade your first-round pick for Kirk Cousins at this point?”Orr asked during a Sports Illustrated discussion with Albert Breer. Orr figured the 2027 selection would land late in the first round.

Breer raised the cost of giving up a chance to get younger and asked whether Orr thought Minnesota could win a Super Bowl with Cousins. Orr said yes.

Orr’s case starts with what the Vikings already have. Minnesota entered the Buffalo game allowing a league-low 13.3 points per game, and Justin Jefferson is still the receiver opposing defenses have to plan around. He pointed to last season’s Seahawks, who won Super Bowl LX with former Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold, a productive running game, and a defense that held New England to 13 points.

“Kyler Murray is not good enough,” Orr said while making the case for acting now. Murray missed Monday’s game with a hamstring strain, leaving Carson Wentz to start against Buffalo. Wentz had already helped Minnesota win its first two games, stepping in against Green Bay in Week 1 and starting the following week against Chicago.

Cousins spent six seasons with the Vikings, including two with Kevin O’Connell. He threw 171 touchdown passes for Minnesota and earned three of his four Pro Bowl selections there.

Orr noted that O’Connell highlights each quarterback’s preferred plays on different versions of the same call sheet. Cousins would walk in with a coach who knows which plays he likes and a receiver who’s run them with him.

The Raiders Have Their Own Reasons To Keep Kirk Cousins

Las Vegas is 4–5 after a 38–17 loss to San Francisco in which Cousinsthrew three interceptions, including a pick-six on the first play after halftime. That game brought another round of calls for rookie Fernando Mendoza. Cousins still has 20 touchdown passes in nine starts and ranks 11th with an 80.5 grade in the PFN QB Impact Rankings through Week 9. Murray sits 27th at 69.9.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported before the 49ers game that the Raiders had not received trade inquiries about Cousins and intended to keep starting him until they felt Mendoza was ready. Coach Klint Kubiak said Monday that the front office was still discussing the deadline generally.

Cousins’ contract adds another layer to any potential deal. His Raiders agreement includes a $1.3 million base salary for 2026 and a fully guaranteed $10 million roster bonus payable in March 2027. Any acquiring team would need to account for those obligations when negotiating a trade, even if it views Cousins as a short-term solution.

The deadline is Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET.