{"id":6320,"date":"2026-11-11T11:32:24","date_gmt":"2026-11-11T16:32:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gofootballanalytics.com\/statsblog\/?p=6320"},"modified":"2026-11-11T21:32:37","modified_gmt":"2026-11-12T02:32:37","slug":"cousins-returns-to-minnesota-as-raiders-turn-to-no-1-pick-fernando-mendoza","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gofootballanalytics.com\/statsblog\/cousins-returns-to-minnesota-as-raiders-turn-to-no-1-pick-fernando-mendoza\/","title":{"rendered":"Cousins Returns to Minnesota as Raiders Turn to No. 1 Pick Fernando Mendoza"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>A Quarterback Trade Resets Plans in Minnesota and Las Vegas<\/h2>\n<p>The <strong>Minnesota Vikings<\/strong> have brought <strong>Kirk Cousins<\/strong> back to the franchise, acquiring the veteran quarterback from the <strong>Las Vegas Raiders<\/strong> ahead of the trade deadline. Reports described the compensation as a 2027 third-round pick. Cousins\u2019 return follows the Vikings\u2019 23-6 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Monday night, and the club had explored other quarterback options before settling on the former starter, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/nfl\/story\/_\/id\/50444360\/sources-vikings-id-qb-kirk-cousins-prime-trade-target\">ESPN<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The deal also clears the way for <strong>Fernando Mendoza<\/strong>, the former No. 1 overall pick, to take over as the Raiders\u2019 starting quarterback. General manager <strong>John Spytek<\/strong> said Mendoza passed the team\u2019s evaluations and made a difficult decision to trade Cousins easier. Coach <strong>Klint Kubiak<\/strong> described Mendoza\u2019s promotion as a transition the team will navigate together. The Raiders\u2019 quarterback change and Cousins\u2019 return are detailed in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nfl.com\/news\/kirk-cousins-vikings-raiders-trade\">NFL.com\u2019s coverage<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>Colts Move Two Receivers Before the Deadline<\/h2>\n<p>The <strong>Indianapolis Colts<\/strong> traded <strong>Keenan Allen<\/strong> to the <strong>San Francisco 49ers<\/strong> and <strong>Josh Downs<\/strong> to the <strong>Kansas City Chiefs<\/strong> before Tuesday\u2019s deadline. The moves sent two wide receivers out of Indianapolis, with the 49ers adding Allen and the Chiefs acquiring Downs. NFL.com included both deals in its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nfl.com\/news\/nfl-trade-grades-evaluating-every-deal-made-ahead-of-the-2026-deadline\">deadline trade roundup<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Indianapolis did not move running back Jonathan Taylor, despite interest in his availability, and a reported offer for defensive tackle Grover Stewart did not result in a deal. The available reports do not indicate that either player was traded.<\/p>\n<h2>Broncos Add Linebacker Daiyan Henley<\/h2>\n<p>The <strong>Denver Broncos<\/strong> acquired linebacker <strong>Daiyan Henley<\/strong> from the <strong>Los Angeles Chargers<\/strong> in a deal between AFC West rivals. The trade was among the transactions reviewed in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nfl.com\/news\/nfl-trade-grades-evaluating-every-deal-made-ahead-of-the-2026-deadline\">NFL.com\u2019s deadline analysis<\/a>. The supplied reports confirm the move but offer limited detail about Henley\u2019s expected role in Denver.<\/p>\n<h2>Eagles Leave Staff Changes on the Table After Seventh Straight Loss<\/h2>\n<p>The <strong>Philadelphia Eagles<\/strong> enter their bye week on a seven-game losing streak, and coach <strong>Nick Sirianni<\/strong> has not ruled out changes to his staff. No coaching move has been announced, but Sirianni\u2019s comments leave the possibility open as the team looks to address its slide. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nfl.com\/news\/nick-sirianni-not-ruling-out-staff-changes-during-eagles-bye-week-following-7th-consecutive-loss\">NFL.com reported<\/a> that the coach declined to rule out changes during the break.<\/p>\n<h2>Browns Reportedly Plan to Start Deshaun Watson<\/h2>\n<p>The <strong>Cleveland Browns<\/strong> still plan to start <strong>Deshaun Watson<\/strong> against the <strong>Houston Texans<\/strong>, according to reports cited by ProFootballTalk. The item does not provide additional detail about Watson\u2019s status or the team\u2019s reasoning, so the plan remains a reported one rather than a formal announcement. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcsports.com\/nfl\/profootballtalk\/rumor-mill\/news\/reports-browns-still-plan-on-starting-deshaun-watson-against-texans\">ProFootballTalk has the update<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>49ers Keep Brandon Aiyuk on Roster Exemption<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Brandon Aiyuk<\/strong> was not released by San Francisco on Tuesday. ProFootballTalk reports that a two-week roster exemption under the collective bargaining agreement allows the 49ers not to pay him during that period. The team\u2019s next move has not been confirmed; the report says the exemption delays a possible release rather than announcing one. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcsports.com\/nfl\/profootballtalk\/rumor-mill\/news\/cba-allows-49ers-to-not-pay-brandon-aiyuk-during-two-week-roster-exemption\">ProFootballTalk explained the provision<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The <strong>Minnesota Vikings<\/strong> also made a roster move involving <strong>Odell Beckham Jr.<\/strong>, releasing him from the active roster and re-signing him to the practice squad, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nfl.com\/news\/nfl-news-roundup-latest-league-updates-from-tuesday-nov-10\">NFL.com\u2019s league roundup<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>Jaguars GM Says Trades Do Not Have to Mean Going All-In<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Jacksonville Jaguars<\/strong> general manager <strong>James Gladstone<\/strong> pushed back on the idea that making trades amounts to going all-in. He said the team values draft picks but does not believe they must always be used to select players in April. Gladstone\u2019s comments offer a window into the club\u2019s approach to roster building, though the supplied reports do not identify a specific move tied to his remarks. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nfl.com\/news\/jaguars-gm-james-gladstone-doesn-t-view-trades-as-going-all-in\">NFL.com has the comments<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>Cowboys Stand Pat at 4-5<\/h2>\n<p>The <strong>Dallas Cowboys<\/strong> did not make a trade before the deadline and will move forward with their current roster at 4-5. The decision was reported in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nfl.com\/news\/at-4-5-cowboys-stand-down-at-trade-deadline-and-are-going-with-what-they-got\">NFL.com\u2019s deadline coverage<\/a>. The report provides no further detail about specific offers or the club\u2019s deliberations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A Quarterback Trade Resets Plans in Minnesota and Las Vegas The Minnesota Vikings have brought Kirk Cousins back to the franchise, acquiring the veteran quarterback from the Las Vegas Raiders ahead of the trade deadline. Reports described the compensation as a 2027 third-round pick. Cousins\u2019 return follows the Vikings\u2019 23-6 loss to the Buffalo Bills&hellip;&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.gofootballanalytics.com\/statsblog\/cousins-returns-to-minnesota-as-raiders-turn-to-no-1-pick-fernando-mendoza\/\" rel=\"bookmark\"><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Cousins Returns to Minnesota as Raiders Turn to No. 1 Pick Fernando Mendoza<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"neve_meta_sidebar":"","neve_meta_container":"","neve_meta_enable_content_width":"off","neve_meta_content_width":70,"neve_meta_title_alignment":"","neve_meta_author_avatar":"","neve_post_elements_order":"","neve_meta_disable_header":"","neve_meta_disable_footer":"","neve_meta_disable_title":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[144,30],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6320","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-daily","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v19.7.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Cousins Returns to Minnesota as Raiders Turn to No. 1 Pick Fernando Mendoza<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Cousins Returns to Minnesota as Raiders Turn to No. 1 Pick Fernando Mendoza\" \/>\n<meta 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