Kirk Cousins Says Raiders Let Him Choose Vikings Trade

Cousins made clear that O’Connell was the reason. “Kevin knows me. Kevin knows what I do well. Kevin knows what I don’t do well,” Cousins said. “Kevin knows what I can handle. Kevin knows what I can’t handle.”

He said that because O’Connell knows his weaknesses, “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.'” Asked whether he would have considered a trade anywhere else, Cousins said, “I’m not too interested in completely starting over.”

Minnesota had its own reasons to make the call. Cousins has 20 touchdown passes in nine games with the Raiders, per the Vikings. Kyler Murray, Carson Wentz and Max Brosmer have combined for eight in eight games for Minnesota, according to ESPN. Cousins’ 2,340 passing yards are 903 more than the Vikings’ team total of 1,437.

That choice matters more than the usual deadline trade. The Vikings are 6-2 because of their defense, and they need an offense that stops giving games away, not a quarterback who needs half a season to learn the system. Cousins picked the one coach who already knows his limits, which gives Minnesota its best chance to get competent quarterback play right away.

The family had a vote, too. Cousins said his wife, Julie, first told him, “I don’t think we can pull the boys out of school and baseball and their friends.” Then she asked their sons, Cooper and Turner. “They looked at her and said, ‘Let’s go,'” Cousins said.

O’Connell hasn’t named Cousins the starter for Sunday at Green Bay, saying he wants to be fair to his new quarterback. Cousins didn’t commit either.

“It’s a fair question to ask; I don’t think I can give you a fair answer because of how early in the week it is,” Cousins said. “So, I’ve got to get to work.”