The fact that serious analysts are pushing a Kirk Cousins-Vikings trade is absurd

They seriously think the Vikings are about to give up on J.J. McCarthy?

Oct 26, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins (18) looks to throw against the Miami Dolphins in the fourth quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Now is not the time for anyone in Vikings Nation to be thinking about Kirk Cousins riding back to Minnesota on a white horse to save the season. In fact, the logic behind the idea, no matter what happens next with J.J. McCarthy, is too absurd to even consider as a possibility.

Alas, here we are, two days before Halloween, talking about the Vikings trading for Cousins. We're here because ESPN's Seth Walder brought it up by suggesting that Cousins is a player Minnesota could target before the NFL's Nov. 4 trade deadline.

"It's too obvious to ignore," Walder began. "The Vikings are expected to get McCarthy back this week, but he struggled when he played this season (23.2 QBR), the Carson Wentz backup experiment was largely a failure, and this team has too much potential to waste this season."

I hate to break it to Mr. Walder this way, but if McCarthy leads the Vikings to victory at Detroit on Sunday, you can rest assured that he'll be QB1 going forward. And if the Vikings lose to Detroit, you can rest assured that the Vikings, who would be 3-5, will accept their reality as an unlikely playoff team and ride out the rest of the season with McCarthy gaining valuable experience.

Walder is also proving himself to be the latest victim of judging McCarthy without proper context. His QBR wasn't good in his first two career starts, but he led three straight touchdown drives in the fourth quarter to lead the Vikings over the Bears in Week 1, and he was playing without left tackle Christian Darrisaw and No. 2 wide receiver Jordan Addison.

The offensive line against the Falcons, at one point in Week 2, featured third-stringer Walter Rouse at left tackle and backup Michael Jurgens at center. Not to mention that McCarthy suffered a high ankle sprain late in the third quarter, and that injury wound up knocking him out for the next six weeks.

Sunday in Detroit will be McCarthy's first chance to play with the bulk of the offense that the Vikings envisioned when they built the roster during the offseason. The one missing piece will be Ryan Kelly at center, who is on injured reserve after suffering multiple concussions. But this time around, McCarthy should have four of the original five starters on the offensive line, his top two wide receivers (Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison), No. 1 tight end (T.J. Hockenson), and both running backs (Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason).

Cousins also has two years left on his contract, including cap hits of $57.5 million in 2026 and 2027, according to OverTheCap. If Walder, or anyone else on Earth for that matter, thinks the Vikings are going to even consider that direction, they've lost touch with reality.