The Minnesota Vikings reunited with Kirk Cousins on Tuesday, sending a 2027 third-round pick to the Las Vegas Raiders ahead of the trade deadline. The move felt obvious to anyone who watched Carson Wentz struggle to throw a forward pass in Monday night’s 23-6 loss to the Buffalo Bills, and the Green Bay Packers had already begun preparing for Cousins to start Sunday’s game at Lambeau Field.
Speaking to reporters in Green Bay on Tuesday, the Packers defensive coordinator was asked by The Athletic’s Matthew Schneidman whether he had reviewed Cousins' tape in advance of Sunday’s matchup. While the video had cut out, Gannon could be heard responding, “I’d bet my car,” likely suggesting his confidence in his game plan.
Inserting Cousins back into the Vikings’ rivalry with the Packers will be one of the biggest storylines going into Week 10, and it may give the 39-year-old a little extra motivation as he begins his second tour in Minnesota.
Jonathan Gannon has already shown he knows how to frustrate Minnesota Vikings QB Kirk Cousins
For a team starving for consistent play at quarterback, Cousins is comfort food for the Vikings. Over his six years in Minnesota, Cousins completed 67.9 percent of his passes for 23,265 yards, 171 touchdowns, and 55 interceptions, earning $185 million in fully guaranteed money.
Some fans also believe he was playing his best football under Kevin O’Connell in 2023, completing 69.5 percent of his passes for 2,331 yards, 18 touchdowns and five interceptions before tearing his Achilles at Lambeau Field in Oct. 2023, making Sunday a true full-circle moment for Cousins.
However, Gannon might be the one to put a damper on any type of celebration. Over his 15-year career, Cousins has squared off against Gannon twice, either as a head coach or a defensive coordinator. In those two games, Cousins completed 59.3 percent of his passes for 418 yards, three touchdowns, and four interceptions.
This also includes a Week 2 matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles in 2022. With Gannon as Philadelphia’s defensive coordinator, Cousins struggled, completing 27 of 46 passes (58.7 percent) for 221 yards, a touchdown, and three interceptions in a 24-7 loss.
The other matchup came when Gannon was the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals in 2025, as he completed 21 of 35 passes for 197 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception to lead the Atlanta Falcons to a 26-19 win. But that came against a Cardinals team that was playing in its final games of Gannon’s tenure.
Cousins has a challenging Vikings return against Gannon
With the Packers’ defense ranking third in DVOA against the pass and possibly getting Micah Parsons back from injury, Cousins will face a unit more similar to the one Gannon led in Philadelphia in 2022 and 2023. But it also adds intrigue to a key divisional matchup on Sunday.
For what it’s worth, Cousins performed well against the Packers in Minnesota, completing 66.9 percent of his passes for 2,635 yards, 20 touchdowns, and eight interceptions in 10 games. He also should be an upgrade over Wentz and Kyler Murray, giving him a low bar to clear during Sunday’s game.
Gannon has had the recipe to stop Cousins before, and his confidence at the end of Tuesday’s presser suggests he believes he’ll have it again. But for two teams looking to battle atop the NFC North, the matchup between Cousins and Gannon got a little more interesting as both sides prepare for Sunday.
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