It’s déjà vu all over again — the Vikings traded for Akers, roughly 12 months after acquiring him in the middle of the 2023 season. The move comes at a time when Aaron Jones is a little banged up with a right hip injury, so Akers helps add depth behind Jones (along with Ty Chandler) and can serve as a third back if/when Jones returns. ESPN’s Kevin Seifert pointed out that coach Kevin O’Connell spoke glowingly about Akers when asked about him last month.
Let’s grade every big deal ahead of the 2024 NFL trade deadline, which is Nov. 5 at 4 p.m. ET. I got things started with the Las Vegas Raiders sending wideout Davante Adams to the New York Jets, reuniting Adams with the quarterback he starred with during his time with the Green Bay Packers. I also have grades for the deal that sent receiver Amari Cooper from the Cleveland Browns to the Buffalo Bills, and the Minnesota Vikings‘ move to acquire Houston Texans running back Cam Akers.
I’m a big believer in judging decisions based on information available at the time. The saying “Let’s see how it plays out” isn’t an option for general managers making deals for their teams, so why should be it for us evaluating those transactions? So when I’m grading trades, I evaluate them for each team based on on-field impact, cap implications, draft compensation and effects within the context of a team’s overall short- and long-term outlook. I like to think about decisions on two axes:
