Vikings Use Trade Chip to Reunite With Former Super Bowl Champion

The Minnesota Vikings hit the trade market to reunite with an offensive reinforcement who is both familiar with the franchise and owns a Super Bowl ring from a previous stint with head coach Kevin O’Connell.

Minnesota dealt for running back Cam Akers on Monday, June 9, acquiring him as a reserve option behind starter Aaron Jones.

“BREAKING: The Vikings have traded a conditional 2026 sixth-round pick to the [New Orleans] Saints in exchange for Cam Akers and a conditional 2026 seventh-round pick,” The Daily Norseman reported via its X account.

Cam Akers Has Been Productive in 2 Stints as Vikings’ Backup Running Back

Akers won a Super Bowl ring as a member of the Los Angeles Rams in 2021-22, the same season O’Connell won his sole championship ring as the offensive coordinator for that organization.

O’Connell accepted the Vikings head coaching position the following year and brought Akers in during the 2023 campaign. The running back appeared in six games for Minnesota that season, rushing for 138 yards and one touchdown as well as recording 11 receptions for 70 receiving yards.

Akers also played a stint for the Vikings in 2024 after beginning the campaign as a member of the Houston Texans. He appeared in 12 games for Minnesota, tallying 297 rushing yards and one touchdown along with 10 receptions for 52 yards and two scores, per Pro Football Reference.

Across his five-year NFL career, the soon-to-be 26-year-old running back has amassed over 2,400 yards from scrimmage and has scored a total of 17 touchdowns.

Cam Akers Will Serve as Alternative to Aaron Jones in Vikings’ Offense

The addition of Akers to the roster is an interesting twist ahead of training camp given how the Vikings’ roster is already set at the position.

Starter Aaron Jones, who inked a one-year deal in 2024 to come over from the Green Bay Packers, proved a significant value last season. As a result, he recently inked a two-year extension worth $20 million and will begin the 2025 campaign as the starter.

That said, the Vikings utilized Jones in somewhat strategic fashion last year, being careful not to over-utilize a player with a recent and meaningful injury history who will play next season at the age of 30 (he will turn 31 years old in early December).

Minnesota traded a fifth-round pick and a sixth-round pick swap to the San Francisco 49ers for running back Jordan Mason this offseason, who is entering his age-25 campaign this year and put up a career high 789 rushing yards and three touchdowns for the Niners in 2024. He also caught 11 passes for 91 receiving yards, both of which were career highs.

Given Mason’s age and his production last season, not to mention what the Vikings traded to acquire him, he figures to serve as the RB2 behind Jones to start the year.

That leaves Akers and fourth-year running back Ty Chandler as competitors for the RB3 spot along with Zavier Scott. Minnesota selected Chandler in the fifth round of the 2022 draft, and while he has had moments, he played sparingly last season.

Chandler saw his carries cut from 102 attempts in 2023 to 56 rushes in 2024. That the team brought Akers back and traded a real draft asset to acquire him does not bode well for Chandler as training camp approaches.