Vikings Acquire Cousins as Russini Returns to NFL Reporting

Dianna Russini returned to NFL reporting on November 10 with an update on the Minnesota Vikings’ quarterback search, as the team acquired Kirk Cousins from the Las Vegas Raiders for a 2027 third-round pick. Russini’s post said Minnesota had also checked with the San Francisco 49ers about Mac Jones, but that his price was too high. The Vikings’ completed deal was for Cousins, who previously played for Minnesota.

Russini said the Vikings were contacting teams about quarterbacks and that league sources believed Cousins was the deal Minnesota was trying to complete. The account of the Jones inquiry and price came from Russini’s reporting; the supplied reports do not provide separate confirmation from either team. Jones remained with San Francisco, whose general manager, John Lynch, had said the 49ers would need to be highly motivated by an offer to trade him and were comfortable keeping him.

The post was Russini’s first NFL report on X in about six months, according to reports about her return. Some users responding to it criticized her and referred to the controversy that preceded her April resignation from The Athletic. Others questioned how she obtained the information. The...