New Vikings Trade Rumors on Kirk Cousins, Derek Carr Links amid QB Search at NFL Deadline

After a disastrous outing for Carson Wentz on Monday Night Football, the Minnesota Vikings' search for help at quarterback could be centered around a reunion with Kirk Cousins.

Per ESPN's Adam Schefter , Cousins has been identified as a "prime trade candidate" for Minnesota ahead of Tuesday's 4 p.m. ET trade deadline.

This comes on the heels of Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio reporting the Vikings have not had any conversations with the New Orleans Saints about a potential deal for Derek Carr, who remains on the reserve/retired list.

Per NFL insider Dianna Russini , the Vikings also checked in with the San Francisco 49ers about Mac Jones, but the Niners' "price is too high right now."

Carr, who retired in May 2025, said in July on NFL Network's Good Morning Football he would consider a "special situation" to return to play.

"I'll never say never. It would take a special situation," Carr said (h/t NFL.com's Kevin Patra ). "There were multiple teams that reached out to me this offseason, and I won't say who or how, but they reached out. Just gave them my interest on what I wanted to do and all those things. They were good, solid football teams, but a couple of them in some different situations."

The Saints still have Carr's contractual rights, so Minnesota would have to negotiate a trade if he were even interested in playing again.

Cousins' situation with the Las Vegas Raiders is fascinating because the team has been adamant about wanting Fernando Mendoza to spend this season learning behind the scenes before taking over as the starter in 2027.

Raiders owner Mark Davis said as recently as last week there is "absolutely no pressure whatsoever" to get Mendoza on the field.

"I'm really happy with the way it is with Fernando right now," Davis added.

It can be argued the Raiders would be better served seeing what Mendoza can do right now so they know specific areas he needs to improve in the offseason.

There's also the fact that the Raiders are reeling right now following a surprise 3-0 start to the season. They have lost five of their last six games and the defense ranks last in the NFL in points allowed per game.

Cousins is coming off arguably his worst game of the season with three interceptions in a 38-17 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, but he has been solid overall with 2,340 passing yards and 20 touchdowns in nine games.

Minnesota is facing its first real adversity of the season coming off a 23-6 loss to the Buffalo Bills. Its the second straight defeat for the team after a 6-0 start.

Wentz, who got the start in place of an injured Kyler Murray, finished 8-of-25 for 81 yards and two interceptions against a Buffalo defense that has been the eighth-worst in the NFL by success rate this season.

A healthy Murray hasn't really stabilized the Vikings' quarterback situation like they hoped. He ranks 27th out of 31 qualified quarterbacks in QBR and success rate.

Cousins would be a natural fit for the Vikings because he spent six seasons in Minnesota from 2018 to '23, with the last two years coming after Kevin O'Connell was hired as head coach.

The Vikings have 10 picks in the 2027 NFL draft, including two in the third round thanks to the Jonathan Greenard trade with the Philadelphia Eagles.