NEW YORK — The Minnesota Vikings found their quarterback on deadline day. They traded a 2027 third-round pick to the Las Vegas Raiders for Kirk Cousins, per ESPN and NFL Network, 24 hours after the offense put up its worst night of the season.
On Monday, Minnesota lost 23-6 to the Bills. Carson Wentz completed 8 of 25 passes for 81 yards with two interceptions. It was the third time this season the Vikings failed to score a touchdown. The team is 6-2 anyway, because the defense is the league's best scoring unit, and that gap between a championship-level defense and a bottom-tier passing game is the whole story behind the trade.
What Minnesota is getting
Cousins is 38. In nine starts for the Raiders he completed 64.1% of his passes for 2,340 yards, 20 touchdowns and 8 interceptions. The Raiders are 4-5 and are moving to rookie Fernando Mendoza, the No. 1 overall pick, at quarterback.
The Vikings' problem, per NFL.com: they rank 27th in points, 31st in yards and 31st in passing, and have scored 16 or fewer points in five of eight games, including the last three. Cousins is a clear step up on those numbers. ESPN's Adam Schefter reports he is expected to start Sunday at Green Bay; the Vikings have not named him yet.
What Kalshi prices
Kalshi's 2027 NFL champion market has Minnesota at 4 cents to win it all: a 3-cent bid, a 4-cent ask, last trade at 4, up from 3. For scale, here are the top of the board at publication:
| Team | Kalshi, 2027 NFL champion |
|---|---|
| San Francisco 49ers | 16¢ |
| Buffalo Bills | 13¢ |
| Chicago Bears | 11¢ |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 11¢ |
| Minnesota Vikings | 4¢ |
A 4-cent contract pays $1 if Minnesota wins the title. At that price the market is saying roughly one chance in 25. The contract last traded one cent above its previous print, so the market is treating the trade as a modest upgrade, not a transformation: a better quarterback helps, but Minnesota still has to get through the NFC.
Week 10: Vikings at Packers
Minnesota's first test with the new quarterback situation is at Green Bay. Here is what it costs to buy each side on Kalshi, including the taker fee, per our best-price check:
| Contract (Vikings at Packers) | Cost to buy on Kalshi |
|---|---|
| Vikings to win | 40.7¢ |
| Packers -3.5 | 50.7¢ |
| Over 41.5 | 53.7¢ |
Our own model line on this game is held. PredictionMarketsPicks does not publish a spread or win probability until both quarterback rooms are vetted, and Minnesota's starter is the open question: Carson Wentz is still the starter on file, Cousins is reported to be in line to start, and the team has not named either. A confirmed Cousins start would change the number. Once the quarterback is confirmed, the line goes up on the Vikings vs. Packers Week 10 page.
The takeaway
A quarterback change is the one lever that moves an NFL number by itself, which is why the Week 10 prices and the Super Bowl price both deserve a second look once the starter is named. Minnesota's defense is already priced as a playoff team. What the market has not yet decided is whether a 38-year-old on a new team fixes an offense that scored six points on Monday.
The live championship board and our model comparison are on the NFL championship odds page, and the cross-venue price check is on Best Price. For the longer Vikings story this season, see Vikings NFC North odds on Kalshi.
Prices are from Kalshi as of 9:30 PM ET on Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2026, and move continuously. Trade responsibly. Educational analysis, not financial advice.