The Minnesota Vikings suffered their first loss of the 2026 NFL season, falling to the Detroit Lions 19-15 at Ford Field in Detroit, and Kyler Murray has struggled to find consistency while leading Minnesota’s offense this season.

On Sunday, Murray was 17-of-29 passing for 210 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 1 interception. He finished with a QBR of 36.8 and a quarterback rating of 89.7. One Super Bowl-winning quarterback thinks it’s time for an upgrade at quarterback for Minnesota.

Former NFL QB Thinks Vikings Should Get Kirk Cousins

Chase Daniel, who was a backup quarterback to starter Drew Brees in the New Orleans Saints’ Super Bowl-winning season, watched the Vikings-Lions game. Afterward, he headed out on social media to offer his thoughts on the state of Minnesota’s quarterback situation.

In his mind, a Vikings trade to acquire Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Kirk Cousins should take place. Daniel posted online, “Kirk Cousins to the Vikings is starting to make way more sense…”

Cousins does have a history with the Vikings’ franchise. He was their starting quarterback for most of his previous six-season run with Minnesota. Cousins’ career started with the now-Washington Commanders, then he went to Minnesota, spent two seasons with the Atlanta Falcons, and is with the Raiders this season.

On Sunday, Cousins was 19-of-26 passing for 247 yards and 3 touchdowns in the Raiders’ 38-33 victory over the New York Jets. He also had 5 rushes for 3 yards and 1 rushing touchdown. Las Vegas brought Cousins in to start the season while Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza is still getting used to the NFL life.

This season, Cousins has thrown for 1,877 yards, 16 touchdowns, and five interceptions. According to the PFN NFL QB Impact Metric, Cousins carries an 80.9 grade, ranking ninth in the league. Murray, meanwhile, has an impact grade of 69.8, ranking 25th, with 1,022 passing yards, five touchdowns, and three interceptions through six appearances.

The numbers alone should at least give Minnesota’s front office something to think about when it comes to a potential Cousins reunion. He has clearly outproduced Murray this season, and bringing back a veteran who already knows the organization could raise the floor of an offense that has struggled to consistently generate big plays.

That becomes even more intriguing because Minnesota already has one of the NFL’s best defenses. Brian Flores’ unit ranks No. 1 on PFN’s Defense Impact Metric with a grade of 93.2.

With that kind of defense, the Vikings may not need spectacular quarterback play every week. A veteran such as Cousins, who can limit damaging mistakes, keep the offense on schedule, and consistently distribute the football, could be enough to make Minnesota a legitimate Super Bowl contender.

There is also the Justin Jefferson factor. Cousins and Jefferson already have years of experience together, and reuniting them could give Minnesota an established quarterback-receiver partnership rather than asking Murray to continue developing chemistry on the fly.

Murray spent his first seven NFL seasons with the Arizona Cardinals and dealt with multiple injuries during that stretch. This is his first season in Minnesota, and his production so far has been underwhelming, with 812 passing yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions through five appearances.

It remains to be seen whether the Vikings would seriously consider bringing Cousins back, but with a championship-caliber defense, Jefferson already in place, and Cousins playing efficient football, the idea is at least worth considering.