Minnesota reached out midday Monday but waited to see how Carson Wentz looked before pushing the trade through.
The Vikings' move for Kirk Cousins was already in motion before Carson Wentz had his rough Monday night, according to ESPN. Minnesota first contacted the Raiders "midday Monday," ahead of its Week 9 game against the Bills, but told Las Vegas it wanted to see how Wentz performed that night before getting into real negotiations.
What it saw apparently settled things. Wentz finished with an 8.9 passer rating in a 23-6 loss, and the Vikings wasted no time after that. They got back in touch with the Raiders before 6:00 a.m. PT on Tuesday, and the two sides worked out the trade from there.
Raiders GM John Spytek addressed the deal at a Tuesday press conference, noting he never initiated contact on Cousins himself. The timeline suggests Minnesota was already hedging on Wentz before his Monday night struggles, using the game as confirmation rather than the trigger for making a move.