Kirk Cousins trade grades: Vikings hope to salvage offense; Raiders get 'A,' turn to Fernando Mendoza

Cousins returns to the place he played from 2018-23 Nov 10, 2026 at 3:53 pm ET • 5 min read Kevin O'Connell and the Minnesota Vikings are making one last-ditch attempt to save their offense, reuniting with Kirk Cousins and sending their 2027 third-round pick to the Las Vegas Raiders in return.Cousins, 38, was in the middle of a renaissance year in Sin City, with 20 passing touchdowns and just eight interceptions. He is now being called upon to save a dire situation in Minneapolis. The Vikings have scored just 11 offensive touchdowns this season, tied with the Chargers for the fewest in the NFL. Offseason addition Kyler Murray and veteran backup Carson Wentz have both struggled mightily, with Murray at or near the bottom of most major passing categories and Wentz throwing for just 81 yards and two interceptions starting for Murray (hamstring) on "Monday Night Football."Cousins spent 2018-23 in Minnesota, where he made three of his four career Pro Bowls. He was especially good in 2022, when he led an NFL-high eight game-winning drives, and Minnesota went 13-4 before being bounced in its first playoff game. The next year, Cousins was arguably even better — on pace for maybe the best year of his career — before tearing his Achilles. Now, three years later, he gets to leave a different lasting legacy in Minnesota.Teammates until Monday, Fernando Mendoza and Cousins now step into very different spotlights. The Raiders will hope the Mendoza era lasts for years to come and that he can make some positive strides this year. The Vikings, on the other hand, are all-in on this year. Here's how both teams fared: Minnesota Vikings: B-That the Vikings are even in this situation is worthy of an "F." Ever since Cousins left, they have failed to find a suitable replacement: Sam Darnold was excellent in 2024, but the Vikings let him go in favor of J.J. McCarthy. McCarthy played poorly and was hurt several times last year, as the Vikings rode a quarterback carousel. Minnesota traded McCarthy, who had been demoted to third-string behind Murray and Wentz, to the Giants early this season. Murray — always a curious-at-best fit for this offense — clearly wasn't cutting it, and Wentz was never going to, either.Cousins has been good this year — not great, but good. He looks far better than what he had been in Atlanta, where it was clear his mobility hadn't returned post-Achilles tear. He's still never going to win with his athleticism, but his negative play rate is down to 6.7%, on pace for a career best, and he is only being sacked on 9.8% of his dropbacks, also on pace for a career best. How much of that praise belongs to Klint Kubiak is up for debate, but it's clear Cousins has regained some of his spryness. He doesn't have to be Michael Vick, but he can't be a statue.Really, though, this all comes down to fit. Murray never fit. Cousins, hypothetically, does. Obviously, there is proof of concept here given his past in Minnesota. He attacks the middle of the field and delivers on intermediate throws. Plus, he is comfortable off play action. These are crucial parts of O'Connell's scheme. Cousins, if nothing else, should do a much, much better job keeping the offense on schedule. Passing success rate this yearKirk CousinsKyler MurrayOverall50%39%Between numbers57%52%Throws 10-20 yards downfield57%44%Play action60%48%Given the circumstances, this grade can only be so high, and given the solution, it cannot get that much higher. Cousins is not a star. His arm strength is not what it once was, and for all the good things he did in Las Vegas, he is coming off a three-interception game. We'll see how he holds up, physically, over the rigors of an 18-game regular season (he will not get a bye) plus expected postseason. His accuracy is a bit down from his best years, though it's still a clear major improvement over Murray and Wentz, who at times seemed unable to hit water if they fell off a boat.It's also nice that the Vikings still have a third-round pick — the Eagles' from the Jonathan Greenard trade — next year. It will be better than Minnesota's, too.Even though Cousins can unlock the best part of this offense — Justin Jefferson, who is the biggest winner of this deal — he cannot fix everything. The offensive line has been up-and-down at best, and the running game has been poor. Minnesota's running backs are 31st in percentage of carries with a missed tackle forced and 26th in EPA per rush. There's not much juice there. Overall, Minnesota got better with this trade. Much better. But it couldn't get much worse, either. Even with a truly outstanding defense, is average-to-slightly-above-average quarterback play and, in turn, average offense good enough to cash in on Super Bowl aspirations? The Vikings are about to find out, but at least they're giving themselves a chance.P.S. O'Connell had better be right about this move. He has missed on two straight quarterback evaluations. He cannot miss on a third. Raiders: AIf you told a Raiders fan before the season that Mendoza would make his first start in Week 10, they'd probably say that's about right. If you told them he'd start because the Raiders got a top-100 pick for Cousins, they'd be very happy with that outcome. Cousins well exceeded the mere placeholder role he was given. He played well and, at times, very well. He kept an offense that's very much in the early building stage moving — the Raiders are eighth in points per drive this season. He did this all alongside one of the league's worst running games and worst/youngest wide receiver corps. He leaned on Brock Bowers, who looks like a superstar once again, and fellow tight end Michael Mayer. The Raiders went 4-5 under Cousins and were competitive in several losses. This was a 99th-percentile outcome.Now, it's Mendoza's turn. It's a little bit tough to drop him into the starting role in these circumstances — not knowing he's starting until Tuesday, and facing Seattle's ferocious defense — but that will be of little matter in the long haul. Kubiak did a great job with Cousins, and the fruits of his labor are a valuable draft pick as Las Vegas continues its build. Strong work all around.