Kirk Cousins reintroduced as Vikings' starting QB - ESPN

EAGAN, Minn. — If he were going to be traded this season, Kirk Cousins had one condition.

«I'm not too interested in completely starting over,» the quarterback said Wednesday upon arriving at the Minnesota Vikings' practice facility to begin his second tenure with the team.

Cousins, who played for the Vikings from 2018 to 2023 and is now 38 years old, said that a telephone conversation Tuesday afternoon with coach Kevin O'Connell convinced him to accept a trade from the Las Vegas Raiders. In exchange for a 2027 third-round draft pick, the Vikings got a new starting quarterback with familiarity in their offensive system and a chance to elevate the team's seasonlong offensive doldrums. This will mark the third time Cousins and O'Connell have worked together, including O'Connell's tenure with the Washington Commanders as their quarterbacks coach.

«Kevin knows me,» Cousins said. «Kevin knows what I do well. Kevin knows what I don't do well. Kevin knows what I can handle. Kevin knows what I can't handle. And I think that helps, not just that he knows your strengths, but that he knows your weaknesses and that as a result he's going to try to protect you and not have you do things that he knows, 'You know what, that's not how Kirk functions. That's not his best chance of success.' And I think the fact that he knows me well, the good about me and the bad about me. I think should help us.»

O'Connell stopped short of confirming that Cousins will start Sunday against the Green Bay Packers, saying: «That's what we're working towards, but also want to be fair to Kirk and make sure he feels good about it.»

Week 1 starter Kyler Murray remains sidelined by a strained hamstring and backup Carson Wentz (ankle) was projected to be limited