Jefferson, Vikings see 'joy' in Cousins' first full day back with team

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  Kevin SeifertNov 12, 2026, 07:54 PM ET

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  Kevin Seifert is a staff writer who covers the Minnesota Vikings and the NFL at ESPN. Kevin has covered the NFL for over 20 years, joining ESPN in 2008. He was previously a beat reporter for the Minneapolis Star Tribune and Washington Times. He is a graduate of the University of Virginia.

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EAGAN, Minn. -- The Minnesota Vikings reveled Thursday in quarterback Kirk Cousins' first full day back with the organization.

Their operations staff opened practice by playing Creed's "Higher" on the team's outdoor speakers, drawing knowing smirks from the handful of players and coaches who remember it as Cousins' anthem during the 2023 season.

"It got me hyped," right tackle Brian O'Neill said. "It felt like it raised the temperature outside a few degrees."

Rookie safety Jakobe Thomas gave up his No. 8 free of charge, saying afterwards that "I just want him to come help us win games."

And receiver Justin Jefferson described the day as "a joy to hear him just take over and be a leader in the meeting room, on the field."

The Vikings acquired Cousins from the Las Vegas Raiders hours before Tuesday's trade deadline, in exchange for a 2027 third-round pick. He spent Wednesday meeting with coach Kevin O'Connell and other members of the staff, but O'Connell did not hold a practice so that players could have an additional recovery day following their 23-6 loss Monday night to the Buffalo Bills.

In replacing former starter Kyler Murray, the Vikings are hoping to elevate their passing offense and reverse a two-game losing streak. If that is going to happen, it will be through his connection with Jefferson. During their last full season together in 2022, Jefferson earned the NFL's Offensive Player of the Year award with career highs in catches (128) and yards (1,809).

Upon hearing about the trade Tuesday, Jefferson said his immediate reaction was to flash back to the volume of their previous connection. But Jefferson insisted Thursday that he has not let himself envision any specifics for their reunion. Through Week 9, Jefferson ranks No. 53 in the NFL in receptions (31) and No. 34 in yards per game (56.1) while playing with Murray for five starts and Wentz for two.

"At this moment, it's really no expectations," Jefferson said. "It's really just going out there and just executing our plays. It's not really getting too juiced up about him being here or anybody being back there. It's just all about understanding the plays that are being called, understanding the jobs that we have and executing our responsibilities. And just the plays that are there, and the plays that could be made, we just need to continue to just make those type of plays. And I'm pretty sure that the results would be a lot better.

"He just understands the game. He's a guy that studies the game a lot. He understands how the defenses play, especially covering me. And he understands, the plays that we have called that are kind of my plays and he understands the timing and the windows to throw those type of plays, but he also doesn't force those type of plays to me and he just lets the game come to me."

According to Jefferson and others, Cousins didn't waste any time Thursday stepping into his new role.

"He's being vocal," Jefferson said, "just making sure that everybody hears the plays that he's talking about and the notes that he has for certain routes, certain plays. And he's just making sure that everybody's on the same page. So it's definitely cool to hear that type of leadership and command. If you know Kirk, that's pretty normal from him. So it's definitely kind of cool him being back in that room and him taking that control."

O'Neill found himself slipping back into old routines as well.

"Some of the stuff that you see, you're like, 'Oh yeah, I'm used to it,'" O'Neill said. "Just the way he gets into the huddle, takes a knee. He's talking with his hands. That felt very familiar. And just the general intensity about him in terms of just little things. I mean, he's on full tilt all the time. There's some things that felt comforting knowing different cadences, knowing just the tone in his voice. Those things haven't really changed."