Vikings rookie Jakobe Thomas speaks out after giving up No. 8 jersey for Kirk Cousins

Kirk Cousins took the practice field Thursday wearing the purple No. 8 he had for six seasons with the Minnesota Vikings, two days after the trade that brought him back from the Las Vegas Raiders for a 2027 third-round pick. Jakobe Thomas, the rookie safety who had worn that number since the Vikings drafted him in the third round in April, came out in No. 6.

Cousins had brought up the number himself when he was reintroduced Wednesday, and he made it sound like something the two would need to sit down and work through. "I'm confident that Jakobe and I can have a healthy, mature conversation and figure this out," Cousins said.

"We trade, Kirko gets here. I look at it and I'm like, yeah, he's probably gonna ask me about it. And I was just like, he's got more memories in the number than I do, and it's his number right now. He's got more of a reputation. So let's just give it up," Thomas told reporters Thursday.

What did Jakobe Thomas ask Kirk Cousins for in return?

Asked if there was any negotiation at all, the 23-year-old on his first NFL contract shook it off.

"Nah, bro. Nah, no money needed. I just need him to come help us win games. ... I don't want any money. I don't need anything. Just come win games. Was all I needed," Thomas said.

The handoff almost happened in person. Thomas was at the facility Wednesday, the day Cousins arrived, and the two did not cross paths, so the conversation Cousins promised ended up happening later by text.

"It was weird because I was here yesterday and I missed him, so I was like, ah. And then being a rookie, you just don't know how stuff works. So I was like, should I get his number or am I supposed to just wait? And then I was at home, he shot me a text and we were just talking. I was like, I just want you to come here and be you. And a lot of fans have his jersey already, so they get to pull him out of the closet and put him back on. So that's all it is. Kirko's got a lot more memories and history in that number than I do, and it's rightfully his. So I just gave it back to his rightful owner for right now," Thomas said.