Minnesota had six wins, but Monday night offered little reassurance at quarterback. A 23-6 loss to Buffalo left the Vikings facing questions they had only hours to address before Tuesday’s NFL trade deadline, with Kyler Murray injured and Carson Wentz struggling in his place.

Kansas City had a different problem: finding more help for Patrick Mahomes. The Chiefs were already looking for a receiver before Xavier Worthy suffered a hamstring injury in Week 9, adding urgency to their search as the 4 p.m. ET cutoff approached.

Those needs brought two contenders into a market where availability did not always mean affordability. Indianapolis had already moved established starters but continued to demand a premium for Jonathan Taylor, leaving buyers to weigh immediate help against the draft capital they would have to surrender.

Vikings bring back Kirk Cousins after Monday-night struggles

Minnesota’s quarterback search ended with a familiar face. After Carson Wentz struggled against Buffalo on Monday night, the Vikings announced Tuesday that they had acquired Kirk Cousins from the Raiders, pending a physical. According to The Ringer and Netflix’s Tom Pelissero, Minnesota agreed to send Las Vegas a 2027 third-round pick for the 38-year-old quarterback.

Earlier on Tuesday, a report linked Minnesota to several veteran quarterback options. At 1:07 p.m. ET, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio reported that a source expected Minnesota to trade for a quarterback before the 4 p.m. deadline. The source named Daniel Jones, Geno Smith, Mac Jones, and Cousins as possibilities, while also mentioning Marcus Mariota and Jameis Winston. Those were potential targets, not confirmed negotiations or agreed deals.

Minnesota ultimately chose a quarterback with experience in Kevin O’Connell’s offense and established connections with its receivers. Cousins earned three Pro Bowl selections during his previous stint with the Vikings and played under O’Connell in 2022 and 2023, working with Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and T.J. Hockenson. That familiarity gives him a foundation as he returns to an offense seeking more consistent quarterback play.

Cousins also arrives with recent production. In nine starts for Las Vegas this season, he completed 64.1% of his passes for 2,340 yards, 20 touchdowns and eight interceptions, posting a 97.1 passer rating. He had joined the Raiders in April after two seasons in Atlanta.

Another potential option had already been ruled out. Pelissero reported that Indianapolis had informed Jones he would not be traded. Separately, ESPN’s Stephen Holder reported that a significant shift would be needed for the Colts to move either Jones or Jonathan Taylor.

Chiefs add Josh Downs as injuries test receiving depth

The Indianapolis Colts agreed to move another offensive contributor. ESPN’s Adam Schefter and NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that the Colts were trading wide receiver Josh Downs to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Kansas City acquired Downs and a 2027 seventh-round pick in exchange for 2027 fourth- and fifth-round selections. The move gives the Chiefs another receiving option after injuries affected their depth at the position.

Xavier Worthy suffered a hamstring injury in Sunday’s win over the Jets, while Tyquan Thornton had already been sidelined by an ankle injury. Rashee Rice also missed time earlier in the season with a hamstring issue, increasing Kansas City’s need for reinforcements.

Downs recorded 33 catches for 354 yards and one touchdown in nine games for Indianapolis this season. His departure added to the Colts’ roster changes after the trades of Quenton Nelson and DeForest Buckner, even as Indianapolis resisted offers for Taylor and informed Jones that he would stay.

Bengals call off Ebiketie deal as Jaguars and Broncos add defenders

Elsewhere, Cincinnati’s attempt to add pass-rush help ended with a canceled agreement. The Bengals had agreed to send Philadelphia a 2027 sixth-round pick for edge rusher Arnold Ebiketie, only to back out before the trade became official. Jordan Schultz first reported that the deal had fallen through, specifying that the decision was not related to a physical or Ebiketie’s performance. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and ESPN’s Adam Schefter subsequently confirmed the cancellation.

The complication involved a more valuable draft selection than the one Cincinnati had agreed to surrender. Over the Cap’s Nick Korte explained that acquiring Ebiketie, whom Philadelphia had signed as a compensatory free agent, would affect the Bengals’ compensatory-pick calculation. Cincinnati stood to lose a projected 2027 third-round compensatory selection tied to Trey Hendrickson’s departure for Baltimore.

Rapoport reported that preserving that future pick drove Cincinnati’s decision to withdraw. “Agreement was reached, but not official,” he wrote. The team chose to protect the projected third-round selection rather than complete the move, leaving the Bengals without the pass-rush reinforcement they had sought.

Jacksonville had already completed a significant defensive addition Monday, acquiring Jordan Davis from the Eagles for a 2027 first-round pick and a 2029 second-round pick.

Denver also reached an agreement to strengthen its defense, striking a deal within the AFC West. According to Schefter, the Broncos agreed to acquire linebacker Daiyan Henley from the Los Angeles Chargers in exchange for a 2027 fourth-round pick and a 2028 fifth-round pick. The agreement sends Henley to a division rival while giving Los Angeles draft selections in each of the next two years.

Colts keep Jonathan Taylor after holding firm on asking price

While other teams reached agreements, Indianapolis also ultimately decided to keep Taylor. According to reporting from The Ringer and Netflix Sports, the Colts would not trade their star running back before Tuesday’s deadline, despite receiving offers from multiple teams that included a second-round pick and additional compensation. None met Indianapolis’ threshold for a blockbuster return.

The decision followed days of negotiations in which the Colts continued to seek something closer to the Christian McCaffrey package the Panthers received in 2022 rather than a more modest return. NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reported no apparent momentum toward an immediate deal, while colleague Ian Rapoport reiterated Indianapolis’ asking price.

That benchmark helps explain the stalled negotiations. When Carolina traded McCaffrey to San Francisco in October 2022, the Panthers received second-, third- and fourth-round picks in the 2023 draft, plus a fifth-round selection in 2024. The deal did not include a first-rounder, but it gave Carolina four selections across two drafts, a broader return than the two-pick package the New York Giants had offered for Taylor.

According to Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer, the Giants proposed second- and fifth-round picks several weeks before the deadline, then withdrew the offer as Indianapolis continued to seek more. Glazer said he did not expect that deal to happen unless the Colts lowered their price. Giants coach John Harbaugh subsequently acknowledged that the offer had been pulled, although he left open the possibility of further negotiations, saying that “things do change.”

Taylor, 27 and under contract through 2028 after signing a two-year, $44 million extension in August, previously said he had not requested a trade but later declined to clarify whether that remained the case. He said he remained proud to wear the horseshoe while acknowledging that circumstances could change.

That uncertainty had not changed Taylor’s approach to playing. Speaking on Nov. 5, ahead of Indianapolis’ final game before the deadline against Dallas, he said he had never considered sitting out to avoid a potential injury. The Colts had not considered holding him out either, and coach Shane Steichen said Taylor would receive his usual workload against the Cowboys.

“You try not to think about that because you don’t want external factors creeping in and trying to alter your play,” Taylor said when asked about the possibility of making his final appearance for Indianapolis.

He acknowledged wanting clarity about his future but said his immediate responsibility was helping the Colts win. Whatever happened in trade discussions, both Taylor and the team were preparing for him to play his normal role rather than protecting him for a possible move.

Owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon had preferred to keep Taylor as part of the rebuild. The uncertainty surrounding him followed a change at the top of the organization. On October 19, Irsay-Gordon fired general manager Chris Ballard after Indianapolis surrendered a 13-0 halftime lead and lost 26-20 at home to the previously winless Tennessee Titans. The defeat dropped the Colts to 2-4, prompting ownership to act rather than wait until the offseason.

“Our standard is to compete for championships, and I believe a change in leadership is necessary to meet that standard,” Irsay-Gordon said in her statement.

Assistant general manager Ed Dodds took charge of the personnel department, while Shane Steichen and his coaching staff began reporting directly to ownership. The changes soon extended to the roster, with Indianapolis trading Nelson to Seattle and Buckner to San Francisco. Those departures intensified questions about whether Taylor would be next, despite signing his extension only months earlier.

Taylor’s situation, however, differed from those of the two departing veterans. Nelson and Buckner were on expiring contracts, while Taylor was signed through 2028. Indianapolis could therefore retain him through its leadership transition rather than accept a discounted offer before the deadline. The earlier trades showed a willingness to move established players, but they did not mean the Colts were prepared to move Taylor on the same terms.

Keeping Taylor through the deadline does not necessarily end the discussion about his longer-term future. Garafolo suggested the Colts could revisit a trade in the offseason if they overhaul their leadership. Rapoport, meanwhile, reported that Indianapolis could retain Taylor as part of an effort to compete in 2027.

For now, the Colts’ position held. Teams offered meaningful draft capital, but Indianapolis chose to keep Taylor rather than accept less than its asking price.

In the end, Minnesota and Kansas City addressed immediate needs, while Cincinnati’s reversal and Indianapolis’ decision to keep Taylor showed the limits of what teams were willing to pay. The deadline gave contenders new options, but whether those moves were enough will be decided over the rest of the season.