On Monday, Rams HC Sean McVay told reporters that Cam Akers will likely be moved in a trade after he was held out last week due to “personal” reasons.
While McVay made it clear that the Rams are exploring trade possibilities for Akers, he didn’t rule out the possibility of him returning to the team if there’s no deal to be made.
“There is a possibility that we could try to help him look for a fresh new start with another team. That’s something that we’ve explored. If that doesn’t come to fruition, then we’ll figure out a solution, how to best move forward with him here,” McVay said, per Sarah Barshop.
Jourdan Rodrigue mentions that it sounds like the Rams have received some trade interest based on McVay’s comments.
Ian Rapoport reported this past weekend that there are “philosophical and football differences” between Akers and McVay right now and there’s a good chance Akers has played his last snap as a Ram.
Rapoport added the Rams expect there to be “significant” trade interest for Akers, who’s in just his third season as a former second-round pick and was an ascending player before tearing his Achilles last summer.
That injury has been a career-killer for running backs historically, but Akers returned from the injury in just five months to play last season. He had some struggles, though, including two fumbles against the Buccaneers in the divisional round of the playoffs that Rapoport cites as the origin for when the relationship between the two sides started to go south. Akers’ playing time and performance have been spotty in 2022.
A source told Rapoport Akers’ athleticism testing numbers are even better than they were before the Achilles injury, and that things are still cordial between Akers and McVay with no locker room issues. One source said Akers there’s even a chance Akers figure things out with McVay to remain with the team.
Right now, though, it looks like both sides are amenable to a fresh start.
Akers, 23, was a second-round pick of the Rams last year. He’s in the third year of his four-year, $6,173,035 contract that included a $2,049,480 signing bonus.
In 2022, Akers has appeared in five games for the Rams and rushed for 151 yards on 51 carries (3 YPC) to go along with two receptions for 18 yards and one touchdown.
We’ll have more on Akers as the news is available.
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