Kirk Cousins isn't officially back in No. 8, yet

Published November 11, 2026 09:45 AM Kirk Cousins is back in Minnesota. But he’s not back in No. 8. Yet.The official online roster shows Cousins with no assigned number, for now. The player currently in No. 8 is safety Jakobe Thomas, a third-round pick in the 2026 draft.It’s likely that Thomas — who hasn’t played in a 2026 regular-season game — will surrender the number to Cousins. Possibly for an appropriate contribution to the charity of Thomas’s choice. Or possibly after Cousins pulls a Jared Verse and shows up for practice on Wednesday wearing No. 8.There’s another possibility, which is as intriguing as it is unlikely. Given that Hall of Famer Fran Tarkenton, who like Cousins had a second stint as Minnesota’s starter, is very enthused by the return of Cousins, Tarkenton could offer to temporarily unretire No. 10.I know. I know. I’ve made clear my position that retired numbers shouldn’t be unretired. More specifically, future players shouldn’t initiate the request, since it puts the player for whom the number was retired in a no-win spot. But if the idea comes from the player who holds the permanent rights to the number, that’s different.It’s still unlikely. And it would look strange to see Cousins in No. 10. So it makes sense for him to get back in No. 8, and for Thomas to pick one of the other available numbers, like No. 9 (which he wore during his season at Tennessee) or No. 6 (which he wore before that at Middle Tennessee State).