SEPTEMBER 21: For the conditions to be met, Akers must combine for 500 yards from scrimmage with the Vikings, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets. In Akers’ two healthy seasons, he has hit 748 and 903 scrimmage yards, respectively.
SEPTEMBER 20: The off-and-on Rams-Cam Akers drama will come to an end Wednesday. The Rams found a taker for Akers, per NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero, who reports the Vikings will acquire the fourth-year running back.
Minnesota and Los Angeles will swap late-round 2026 draft choices, Pelissero adds. Given Akers’ inconsistent history, it was always unlikely the Rams would obtain much for him. But the Vikings will take a flier on the former second-round pick.
The Vikings will send Los Angeles a conditional sixth-round pick in 2026. In exchange, the Rams will send Minnesota Akers and a 2026 conditional seventh-rounder, ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets. Terms on the conditions of each pick have not yet been released, but with nearly three full seasons in between now and then, there are a vast number of possibilities for what might alter these picks.
For an in-season trade, this presents the opportunity for a smooth Akers transition. Kevin O’Connell served as the Rams’ offensive coordinator during Akers’ first two NFL seasons, and Vikings OC Wes Phillips was also in L.A. during that span. Akers will join a Vikings backfield transitioning from Dalvin Cook‘s six-year tenure, leaving the Rams with their now-Kyren Williams-fronted setup behind Matthew Stafford.
The tumultuous Rams-Akers relationship reached the point of no return Sunday, when the team deactivated the former starter for its Week 2 game. Akers, 24, expressed confusion at the move, but he and Sean McVay had not seen eye to eye for periods over the past year. McVay indicated a trade was likely.
Despite opening each of the past two Rams seasons as the starting running back, Akers found himself a healthy scratch each year. Los Angeles scratched Akers for Week 6 last season, as trade rumors swirled. While the team held onto Akers after negotiating with teams ahead of last year’s trade deadline, the Vikings are now responsible for the last year of his rookie deal.
It does not appear the Rams would have settled for his level of trade compensation last year, when they rejected trade offers, but the minimal return points to the Rams being prepared to accept just about anything to end this relationship. The Browns, Buccaneers, Raiders and Ravens were mentioned as interested parties. The Browns took themselves out of the running Wednesday morning, when they reunited with Kareem Hunt. Although McVay disciples are in HC posts elsewhere — Matt LaFleur, Brandon Staley, Zac Taylor — the Vikings make the most sense from a familiarity standpoint due to O’Connell having coached Akers as OC.
While 2026 late-round draft choices effectively indicate how little trade value Akers brought, he has produced promising stretches during an inconsistent career. The Rams turned to the Florida State product late in the 2020 season, and the then-rookie ripped off a 171-yard showing against the Patriots. Akers then amassed 131 rushing yards to help the Rams upset the Seahawks in the 2020 wild-card round. After last year’s spate of hiccups, Akers regrouped to close the season with three straight 100-yard performances. While seldom used as a receiver, Akers has enjoyed productive periods as a ball-carrier.
Of course, Akers also suffered an Achilles tear in July 2021. This prompted the Rams to trade for Sony Michel. While Akers made a surprising return in time for Week 18 and suited up for the Rams in the playoffs, he did not regain his previous form. As the Rams’ O-line deteriorated last season, Akers struggled, leading to the disagreement with McVay. He opened this year with a wildly ineffective 22-carry, 29-yard showing in Seattle, ceding the key backfield touches to Williams, a 2022 fifth-round pick who has seized command for the retooling Rams.
The Vikings turned to longtime Cook backup Alexander Mattison this offseason, opting not to bring in another veteran to supplement the career-long RB2. Mattison, 25, is off to a slow start. The fifth-year back is averaging 3.3 yards per carry; in Week 2, he lost a fumble in what turned out to be a one-score loss to the Eagles. Overall, Minnesota has gained an NFL-low 69 rushing yards. Mattison should still be expected to lead the way in Minnesota, but Akers represents competition. The Vikes roster 2022 fifth-rounder Ty Chandler and late-summer pickup Myles Gaskin behind Mattison.
So they let cook walk and then give up on mattison after two games?
They let an aging declining expensive vet go, gave Mattison a shot to earn the job and then brought in competition when Mattison showed he couldn’t hack it.
Bingo
“Declining”
1173 yards, 4.4 average, 39 catches, 295 yards.
Yeah Dalvin Cook sure showed signs of declining last year.
Minnesota wanted to save money. That’s about it. And now they’re 0-2 wasting another year on Jefferson and Cousins with the worst run game in the league.
A lot of I Told You So going around that Mattison wasn’t going to replace cook.
But you can plug and play any RB right?? They’re all the same, right?
Moving on from Cook and taking on Akers has frankly little to do with Mattison.
Moving on from Cook is all about not valuing him for the contract, while adding Akers is the opposite. Deemed a value for what they are giving up to acquire him.
Agreed with Drew, at least as I understood it. Going all in for one more year with Cousins should have given credence to a Cook retention for one more year in my mind. Most of us figured Mattison to be a good piece, but not a featured back. One more year of Cook, while retaining Cousins, would have given the Vikings a better offense in the immediate. Now, they’ve had to compensate with another vet to give them theoretically the same production that they would have had from a guy who’s played in their system.
It’s not like the Vikings have been destroyed in their two losses. Those were close games. A better running game could theoretically made a difference. The running game needs addressing, but truly, the defense is really what is going to need improvement the most as the season goes on. Hopefully for Minnesota, Flores can make that difference. As far as the run game goes, however…you might as well have kept Cook for one more year.
Yep. Sounds like you cant just plug and play any RB and get results
Agreed.
But clearly giving up on Cook and letting him walk has changed the dynamic of the whole team as they rush to get back to equal. The team is in trouble. Akers was a great addition to help bail water.
Not in trouble. 0 and 2 is not desperate. Especially since both loses were 1 score games to 2 playoff teams. I know its too much for most people but CONTEXT does matter.
Week 3 tough too.
Certainly in trouble. Since 1990 only 31 teams out of the 270 teams (11.5%) that started 0-2 made the playoffs. In the last three seasons, with expanded playoffs and schedules, only one team has started 0-2 and made the playoffs.
I know it’s too much for some people, but context does matter.
I need the Vikings to get a couple wins quick.
I dont want to see Kirk Cousins in a Jets uniform if things go to far.
The score doesn’t matter..2 loses is 2 loses. They have put themselves in a hole to start season.
A 2026 conditional swap of late rounders?
That has to sting the old ego, and it says alot about the market.
And I like Akers.
19 carries for 62 yards vs 17 carries for 40 yards. And you saved about 5 mil this year? This lousy early-season production is just something we will have to get used to. I think the intentional lack of playing time in the pre-season to avoid injury directly influences the disjointed, ineffectual play we are seeing now.
And I don’t think Akers is going to be any kind of answer either.
I called it. My top 3 spots were Vikings buccaneers or colts
AM doesn’t have the speed to be a Vikings rb1. Our history is pretty good. Think Foreman(great moves & versatility), Smith(hr hitter), Peterson(hr hitter), Cook(hr hitter and versatility).
Chuck Muncie (bowling bowl runner, great hands, & could block)
Darrin Nelson (lil scatback, nice underneath receiver)
How bout people just stop worrying bout the possibilities n see what he actually does instead of speculation
That would be the right call, and it is, really. But this IS a rumors site…so we can’t completely forget that.
Kinda want Akers to breakout just for the satisfaction of making McVey look like a self important egomaniac
I think there’s a good reason it’s not called the National Humility Football League…and he does have a ring.
So does Trent Dilfer
(Thanks for setting me up to pull that one outta the old moth balls lol)
Yes run game is lacking, but Cousins is pulling out all the stops and keeping the team competitive. The problem as it was last year and the year before is DEFENSE. Can’t lead the league in yards given up and expect the offense to carry the slack