Reunion with Old Friend Is Suddenly in Play for the Vikings
Perhaps the most comical thing of recent NFL history was pulled off by Kwesi Adofo-Mensah about ten months ago when he once again traded for running back Cam Akers. He did so in consecutive years for the same compensation.
Reunion with Old Friend Is Suddenly in Play for the Vikings
In the offseason, Akers’ contract expired, and it took him some time to find a new team. Ultimately, the New Orleans Saints added him in June. Two months later, the runner is back on the market, and the Vikings could pounce. This time, it would be for free, without giving up a conditional sixth-rounder.
On Monday, he posted on social media, “NFL a crazy place 😔
It took only a few minutes until the news dropped and Tom Pelissero announced, “The #Saints released RB Cam Akers, per source.”
In the preseason, the 26-year-old had an unimpressive showing with eight runs for 16 yards and four catches for 15 receiving yards. That was not enough for the Saints, evidently.
Akers was a 2020 draftee out of Florida State. He joined a Rams running back room that needed a successor for Todd Gurley. In his rookie season, he accumulated a respectable 625 rushing yards and two touchdowns on the ground, while showing some promise as a pass-catcher.
His sophomore campaign was supposed to be a breakout year, but he suffered a torn Achilles in the offseason. Only five months later, he was miraculously ready for the playoffs and helped the Rams capture their Super Bowl with offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell.
A solid 2022 season was followed by him landing in Sean McVay’s doghouse, and the Vikings traded for him. He was reunited with O’Connell. Six games into his stint with the purple franchise, Akers suffered another torn Achilles. Although that sounds like the end of his career, he returned once again and looked like a decent back.
Last year, he signed with the Texans, and the Vikings repeated the trade acquisition. Akers has played in 18 games with the Vikings, resulting in 435 rushing yards and 122 through the air and three touchdowns from scrimmage. Potentially his biggest play was a reception against the Green Bay Packers to ice the divisional bout.
The Vikings are set with starter Aaron Jones and premier backup Jordan Mason. His old RB2 job is gone as Minnesota wanted to upgrade. However, Akers makes sense as the third running back on the team behind the duo if the club isn’t sold on Ty Chandler or Zavier Scott.
Chandler was demoted for Akers in each of the last two years, indicating that they prefer Akers. Scott showed promise in the preseason, but it remains to be seen if the Vikings trust him enough, especially in pass protection. Well, they do trust Akers, who is a pretty good blocker out of the backfield, can catch the ball, and get the job done as a depth running back.
He’s 26 years old.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Sports Reference helped with this article.