Kirko Chainz Signing in Sin City
The Minnesota Vikings feel a lot better about their quarterback room in 2026 than they did entering 2025, despite what they sold to the public last offseason.
But just a month or two ago, that was not the case. Back in late-February and early-March, before the start of NFL free agency, the Vikings were mulling a multitude of options — both via trade and free agency — to add veteran QB talent to “compete” with JJ McCarthy for the 2026 starting job.
Among the names on their list of QB possibilities was 37-year-old Kirk Cousins, who (in case you didn’t know) played for the MN Vikings from 2018 to 2023, before he ruptured his achilles and left for Atlanta via free agency.
Of course, his time with the Falcons did not go as planned. So this offseason, when his former team was looking for a new QB, he was certainly one of the guys mentioned, especially early on.
Former Minnesota Vikings QB Kirk Cousins signing with Raiders
But the Minnesota Vikings never seemed as interested in a Cousins reunion as what may have been expected. And instead of rekindling old flames, Minnesota jumped on Kyler Murray as soon as the Cardinals made him available on March 11.
And now, Kirk Cousins’ future as a starter in the NFL is just as much in the hands of soon-to-be Raiders QB, Fernando Mendoza. Because on Thursday morning, Kirk announced via X that he is signing with the Las Vegas Raiders, who are planning to draft Mendoza with the No. 1 overall pick later this month.
The Autumn Wind…
— Kirk Cousins (@KirkCousins8) April 2, 2026
New #Raiders coach Klint Kubiak worked with Kirk Cousins with the #Vikings for three seasons and recently discussed not wanting to rush a young QB onto the field.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 2, 2026
A day after Fernando Mendoza’s Pro Day, Cousins lands with Las Vegas. pic.twitter.com/7ZxibQCxh1
Prior to signing his deal with the Raiders, Kirk Cousins was drawing interest from other teams seeking a high-end backup, including the Green Bay Packers. But ultimately, something about Las Vegas caught his eye.
This is considered to be a down draft year for quarterbacks and Mendoza isn’t the classic top prospect turned No. 1 pick that many top QBs are in their respective draft classes are.
Thus, not only does Cousins get to go to Vegas and work with Tom Brady, but there is a legitimate path to Kirk starting for the Raiders in 2026, if Mendoza isn’t immediately ready to start.
Hopefully Vegas is MN Vikings nicer to Kirk…
In his 14-year NFL career, Kirk Cousins has thrown for exactly 44,700 yards (66.7%), 298 touchdowns and 131 interceptions. In his six seasons as a member of the Minnesota Vikings, he enjoyed the most success of his career — 23,265 yards (67.9%), 171 touchdowns and just 55 interceptions.
Vikings at Lions Week 2019: Kirk Cousins throws for 342 yards & 4 TDs. Dalvin Cook 142 yds in 25 carries, and Stefon Diggs has 7 catches for 143 yds & a TD in the Game. DET leads early, but MIN pulls away in the 2H. 42-30 Viking win. pic.twitter.com/rJttq1SCZZ
— VikeFans (@VikeFans) November 1, 2025
But after tearing his achilles in 2023 (week 9) against the Green Bay Packers, Cousins decided the grass was greener in Atlanta, where he signed what ended up being a two-year deal worth $90 million.
Related: Vikings Unveil Updated QB Plan; How Practice Reps Will be Split
He didn’t know about his new team’s plan at the time, but quickly found out the hard way on draft night that the Falcons were looking to turn around and draft his replacement that same offseason.
And they did — shocking Kirk Cousins and the rest of the football world by selecting Michael Penix Jr. with the No. 7 overall pick. By the end of his first season as a Dirty Bird, Cousins was Atlanta’s QB2. Let’s hope that his time in Sin City treats him better than the ATL.
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