On paper, the Los Angeles Rams’ decision to trade Cam Akers to the Minnesota Vikings for a late-round pick swap seems like a bad move. They didn’t gain any draft capital, and all they did was move up one round in the 2026 NFL draft, from the seventh to the sixth.
However, the real reason Los Angeles made this trade was to part with a player who seemingly didn’t fit with the culture Sean McVay has built in the Rams’ building. Not to mention, the Rams also saved $1.29 million in cap space by dumping Akers, the same amount they would’ve recouped if they had just cut him.
Buy Rams TicketsESPN’s Seth Walder graded the trade for both teams and he was fairly favorable to each. He gave the Vikings a B+, while the Rams got a respectable B-.
With Akers gone, Kyren Williams solidifies his role as the Rams’ starting back, which seemed to be the case, anyway. Williams has put up strong fantasy numbers with four touchdowns in two games, but his efficiency has been lacking. He is averaging just 3.6 yards per carry and has minus-14 RYOE.
Maybe the Rams could have gotten slightly more for Akers a week ago, before he was a healthy scratch. Then again, other teams can see his rushing inefficiency, too.
The Rams barely got anything in return for Akers but they obviously didn’t see him as an important player after making him a healthy scratch in Week 2. And now with him gone, they no longer have to answer questions about what his role will be, what’s going on behind closed doors or whether he’ll remain with the team.
This was essentially a case of addition by subtraction, and the Rams were lucky to even get anything back for the fourth-year running back.
