The answer to is Kirk Cousins starting this week became less about a simple depth-chart question and more about a rapidly moving trade timeline. The Vikings first contacted the Raiders about a possible deal for Kirk Cousins during midday Monday, before Minnesota’s Week 9 game against the Bills.
According to the report, the Vikings wanted to see how the Monday night game played out before moving forward with any further conversations. That added a layer of uncertainty to a situation that was already unsettled, because the quarterback picture was still in motion before the game even kicked off.
How the talks moved after Monday night
The Monday night game did not calm things down. Carson Wentz posted an 8.9 passer rating in a 23-6 loss, and the Vikings then contacted the Raiders again before 6:00 a.m. PT on Tuesday. That was when the talks advanced to a completed deal.
The timing matters because it shows the discussions were not a long, drawn-out process once Minnesota decided to revisit the idea. The initial contact came on Monday, the team waited to see the result of the game, and then the conversation moved quickly overnight.
What the Vikings offered and what it meant
The report frames the deal as one that gave Cousins nine starts and four wins. It also notes that the Vikings’ initial offer included a fifth-round pick and a third-round pick, along with a $10 million guaranteed bonus.
For Minnesota, the key point is not just that Cousins was part of trade discussions. It is that the team’s quarterback situation was still being evaluated in real time, with performance, timing and roster planning all tied together. The result is a clearer timeline for how quickly the Vikings moved once they decided the situation needed another look.
Spytek’s version of events
On Tuesday, John Spytek said during a press conference that he had only one real call about Kirk Cousins that morning, adding, “I never made one call on Kirk Cousins. And I got a few phone calls. But one real one this morning.”
That remark lines up with the broader picture: a fast-moving negotiation that intensified after the Monday night game and was pushed along before sunrise on Tuesday. For anyone asking is Kirk Cousins starting this week, the bigger takeaway is that the answer was tied to a trade process that moved quickly once the Vikings reopened the discussion.
