Kirk Cousins could have an opportunity to become the latest player to have played in 18 regular-season games.

However, Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell could cause the veteran to miss out on quarterback history, following Cousins' trade back to Minnesota. The 38-year-old returned to Minnesota at the trade deadline, with the Vikings sending a 2027 third-round pick to the Las Vegas Raiders.

That said, it has been almost three seasons since Cousins played for the Vikings and as such, O'Connell wants to ensure the star is ready to play, which could jeopardize the 38-year-old's bid at history.

"So we're working through just getting him comfortable, getting him up to speed, and he's really smart," O'Connell began to reporters Wednesday. "A lot of things come back quick to him, and some of the things we've kind of grown and nuanced and subtle changes, making things more efficient or learnable over the years."

The head coach then admitted that Minnesota's main job is to get Cousins "up to speed" on what the team is doing and as such, he could not confirm whether or not the veteran quarterback will be starting for his potentially historic 18th game this season.

"I do think it's still too early to commit wholeheartedly to what the plan on Sunday looks like," he continued. "But I will say, excited about the opportunity of spending every moment we can between now and then to get him comfortable and allow him to play for us this Sunday.

"So that's what we're working towards, but also want to be fair to Kirk and make sure he feels good about it, going into Lambeau Field."

Notably, Cousins played nine games for the Raiders this season, who have yet to have a bye week. Meanwhile, the Vikings already had their bye week and if Cousins plays out the rest of the year, he will have played in 18 total games split between both teams.

Only four players have played in 18 games since the NFL season expanded to 17 games in 2021: Rashid Shaheed and Dre'Mont Jones in 2025, Mike Williams in 2024, and Leonard Williams in 2023, per NBC Sports. The aforementioned players played in 18 games due to the same circumstances as Cousins.

For Cousins, not only was the trade to Minnesota a return, but also it allows the star to pursue what he claimed to be "unfinished business."

When asked what he meant by that remark, Cousins stated, "Well I think that you know it's all about winning a Super Bowl. It always has been in every organization when the year begins we're here to win football games and ultimately win a Super Bowl so when you say how much of it is about that I mean that's ultimately what you're building towards.

"Now we can't win the Super Bowl today, we can't win it this Sunday but you know you're on a journey to try to get there. Every year I've been playing this league that's the journey you're on so that's certainly where we want to go but you can't live January and February and November.

"So you know it's about just taking the next step and today is about having the best Wednesday we can have and go from there."

The Vikings are set to play the Green Bay Packers in Week 10.