EAGAN, Minn. — Kirk Cousins took the practice field in Vikings colors again on Thursday, two days after Minnesota brought the veteran quarterback back in a trade with Las Vegas shortly before the NFL deadline.
Minnesota gave up a third-round choice in the 2027 draft, one of two it holds in that round, for Cousins, who played for Minnesota from 2018 through 2023. He went to the field at the team facility wearing the No. 8 he wore in his first stint, and the club played the Creed song Higher during the open portion of practice, a running joke from his final season there.
General manager Nolan Teasley told reporters Wednesday that the move made sense because Cousins already knows the system, the coaches and the building. The 6-2 Vikings have lost two straight, including a 23-6 home defeat to Buffalo on Monday night, and Minnesota has been held to 16 points or fewer for three games running.
Cousins arrives in form. He led Las Vegas to four wins in nine games and ranks second in the league with 20 touchdown passes, with 2,340 yards and a 97.1 passer rating, according to team figures.
Coach Kevin O’Connell has not formally named him the starter for Sunday at Green Bay, saying he wants Cousins comfortable with the short turnaround. The trip carries history: Cousins tore his Achilles tendon at Lambeau Field on Oct. 29, 2023, in what became his last game for Minnesota before stops in Atlanta and Las Vegas. The Packers enter at 6-3, and the Vikings beat them 39-22 in the season opener.
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