Deja Vu: Minnesota Vikings Pull Off Trade for Familiar Running Back

By Andrew Buller-Russ |

Updated: Oct 15, 2024

Minnesota Vikings, Cam Akers — Credit: Brad Rempel-Imagn Images

Aaron Jones injured his hamstring during the Minnesota Vikings’ Week 5 win over the New York Jets, and Kevin O’Connell’s offense didn’t look the same during their Pro Bowl RB’s absence. Ty Chandler and Myles Gaskin tried their best, but they’re just not in the same tier as Jones.

Jones is still recovering from his hamstring injury, and while he’s making progress, there’s no guarantee he’ll be ready for Sunday’s game against the Lions. So, despite having limited draft capital, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has already swung his first trade of the 2024 regular season.

Minnesota Vikings announce Cam Akers trade, again

During the bye week, we looked at six Minnesota Vikings trades that could make sense. We included two running backs who could provide a boost but left off Cam Akers due to his seemingly strong fit in Houston after signing as a free agent.

Yet, on Tuesday, the Vikings announced they’ve traded for Akers again. Tom Pelissero of NFL Network was the first to break the news, revealing the Vikings are parting with a conditional 2026 sixth-round pick in exchange for Akers and a conditional 2026 seventh-round pick.

Trade! The #Texans are sending RB Cam Akers to the #Vikings, sources say.

Houston gets a 2026 conditional sixth-round pick in exchange for Akers and a 2026 conditional seventh-round pick.

It’s a reunion for Akers and Minnesota, which also traded for him last season. pic.twitter.com/PlxXuewR6l
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) October 15, 2024

Of course, this is the second time the Vikings have traded for the former Rams RB, reuniting him with Coach O’Connell once again. The Vikings first turned to Akers last season as the backup to Alexander Mattison, but he tore the Achilles in his left leg and was lost for the season.

Akers spent the entire offseason rehabbing, where he was frequently linked as a possible depth solution to the Vikings again. Yet, he ultimately decided to join the Texans after it looked like Ty Chandler would assume a bigger role in Minnesota.

Now after a string of underwhelming performances from the Vikings’ backup running back, Akers re-joins his old teammates where he should be able to quickly pick up the offense he learned last season.

Cam Akers stats: 40 carries, 147 rushing yards, 3.7 YPC, 1 TD, 4 receptions, 16 receiving yards, 1 TD

On paper, the stats we see from Akers aren’t that impressive. But he’s a 25-year-old (one year younger than Chandler) with five seasons of NFL experience who can help the Vikings on passing downs. Right now, his consistency may be more valuable in the coaches’ eyes than the relatively inexperienced Chandler, who’s still trying to find his way.