The Vikings will send a conditional 2026 sixth-round pick to the Texans in exchange for a conditional 2026 seventh-round pick as part of the deal.
Akers started two games this season for the Texans in the backfield of injured Joe Mixon and Dameon Pierce, including one against the Vikings in Game 3. He ran nine times for 21 yards in that game and totaled 147 yards and one touchdown in 40 passes on to his generation in Houston.
Akers became non-returnable and Mixon and Pierce returned for the Texans.
The short-term status of Vikings starter Aaron Jones is uncertain due to severe hip trauma. Ty Chandler has been Jones’ backup and would start Sunday against the Detroit Lions if Jones can’t play, but Akers gives the Vikings more intensity than Refuse. 3 operating again Myles Gaskin.
Akers has a long history with Vikings mentor Kevin O’Connell and offensive coordinator Wes Phillips, as the trio spent generations together with the Los Angeles Rams in 2020 and 2021.
The Vikings first obtained Akers from the Rams two weeks into the 2023 season. He played in six games behind starter Alexander Mattison, rushing for 138 yards and landing on 38 carries before tearing his left Achilles tendon on Game 9. He also tore his right Achilles tendon further with the Rams in 2021.
The Vikings attempted to re-sign him before training camp this summer, but he instead opted to sign him to the Texans.
“I love Cam Akers,” O’Connell said in closing the age. “Cam is a unique, special and talented person. To deal with the kind of adversity he has in his young career, and you have never heard him feel sorry for himself. An incredibly tough player, both mentally and physically… I have a great relationship with him, and I care a lot about him.
