The National Football League's trade deadline passed at 4 p.m. Eastern time on Tuesday, November 10, 2026, and the move that defined it returned a quarterback to the team that let him walk away two years ago.
The Minnesota Vikings acquired Kirk Cousins from the Las Vegas Raiders in exchange for a 2027 third-round pick, according to the league's own deadline summary. It is a modest price for a starting quarterback, and it arrived a day after Minnesota's offense was held to two field goals in a 23-6 loss at Buffalo on Monday night — a result that dropped the Vikings to 6-2 and left them short of the top of the NFC.
A quarterback room rebuilt twice in seven weeks
The trade closes a loop Minnesota opened in September. On September 28 the club sent quarterback J.J. McCarthy to the New York Giants for a 2027 fifth-round pick, and since then it has worked through Carson Wentz and Kyler Murray without settling the position, according to CBS Sports. The team has now spent a third-round pick to get back the player who started for it from 2018 through 2023.
Cousins is in his second season outside Minnesota and had thrown 20 touchdown passes for the Raiders, Yahoo Sports reported. Las Vegas, which is out of contention, is expected to hand the job to Fernando Mendoza for the rest of the season.
The arithmetic is unusual: two quarterback trades, seven weeks apart, that cost Minnesota a third-round pick and brought back a fifth — and left the roster with a 38-year-old starter instead of a 23-year-old one. The Vikings are built around a defense that has carried them to six wins; what the front office bought on Tuesday was the chance to stop wasting that defense.
Jacksonville spends a first-round pick on defense
The Jaguars were the deadline's most aggressive buyer, completing three trades on Monday, November 9:
- DT Jordan Davis, from the Philadelphia Eagles, for a 2027 first-round pick and a 2029 second-round pick. Davis was the 13th overall selection in the 2022 draft.
- S Jessie Bates III, from the Atlanta Falcons, for a 2027 second-round pick and a 2028 fifth-round pick.
- DT Davon Godchaux, from the New Orleans Saints, for a conditional 2028 sixth-round pick.
Jacksonville rebuilt an injured defensive front and secondary in a single afternoon, and did it by spending the sort of draft capital that normally buys a quarterback. It is the clearest bet of the deadline, and the one with the longest bill.
Indianapolis sells, but keeps Jonathan Taylor
The Colts were the sellers. They sent wide receiver Keenan Allen to the San Francisco 49ers for a 2027 sixth-round pick and wide receiver Josh Downs to the Kansas City Chiefs, after moving defensive lineman DeForest Buckner to San Francisco and guard Quenton Nelson to Seattle in late October. They declined to trade running back Jonathan Taylor despite a reported second-round offer, Yahoo Sports said.
Elsewhere, the Buffalo Bills added safety Amani Hooker and a 2027 fifth-round pick from the Tennessee Titans for a 2027 second-round pick; the Denver Broncos acquired linebacker Daiyan Henley from the Los Angeles Chargers for a 2027 fourth-round pick and a 2028 fifth; and the Detroit Lions picked up safety Andre Cisco from the New York Jets for a 2028 sixth-round pick.
Reporting from NFL.com, Yahoo Sports, CBS Sports and ESPN.
