This offseason has been interesting for the Minnesota Vikings. There has been a little of everything to keep the drama flowing. That said, the running back position didn't seem like an area where there would be much to talk about.
Aside from the Vikings moving on from Alexander Mattison and signing former Green Bay Packers running back Aaron Jones, the position has Ty Chandler, Kene Nwangwu, and DeWayne McBride set to return with Myles Gaskin in the group for training camp.
The rumor mill added rumblings that Minnesota was interested in reuniting with Cam Akers for the 2024 season. However, a recent report has hopes of that signing seeming unlikely or at least overstated at the time.
Veteran RB might not be returning to Vikings after all
It seemed like a foregone conclusion that Akers would re-sign with the Minnesota Vikings under the condition that he passed his physical. At least that's what Charley Walters of the Pioneer Press told fans in an article.
Despite that rumor, KPRC 2 Houston's Aaron Wilson shared on X that Akers worked out with the Texans according to a league source. That news was surprising considering Minnesota was expected to add him to their roster if he passed his physical.
Source: #Texans work out veteran running back Cam Akers @KPRC2 https://t.co/X8RLdhdCwr
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) July 21, 2024
Cam Akers was traded to the Vikings in a midseason deal with the Los Angeles Rams to help Minnesota's struggling rushing attack. He played in six games for the purple and gold, running for 138 yards and one touchdown while adding 11 catches for 70 yards.
With Aaron Jones' injury history and a lack of experience on the roster past Jones and Chandler, Akers made sense to re-sign with the Vikings, especially when factoring in his previous working relationship with head coach Kevin O'Connell.
The former Minnesota running back working out for the Texans is interesting for several reasons. If true, that means he was physically able to showcase his skills for Houston but the Vikings did not get a deal done with the 25-year-old rusher.
This means the report from Walters was exaggerated or something happened between the time of the report and now to make a deal between the Minnesota Vikings and Akers non-existent. Considering the business side of the NFL, it isn't shocking that a contract was not completed, but it is a bit of a confusing development for a team that could have used his services for the 2024 NFL season.