Getty Cam Akers stiff arms Nick Kwiatkoski on September 18, 2022.
Questions surrounded the Los Angeles Rams and the rest of the league on what the future of Cam Akers would be on Tuesday, November 1.
Once the clock truck 1 p.m. Pacific which was the cutoff time for the Rams and other teams to make trade deals, the disgruntled running back was never dealt away.
No deal involving the Denver Broncos for Bradley Chubb (traded to the Miami Dolphins). No packaged deal for Kareem Hunt (untraded, remained with the Cleveland Browns). Not even a deal that involved two first round rounders on the Rams’ side in exchange for Brian Burns of the Carolina Panthers was accepted which also involved Akers in the proposed move, as reported by ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.
Talked to multiple people around league who believe the #Rams indeed came w/ 2 1s in Brian Burns talks. The #Panthers are holding onto Burns because he's top-10 pass rusher and want to keep young core. But deadline's not over.
Side note: Rams included Cam Akers in talks w/ CAR https://t.co/3NRUhoLrDw
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) November 1, 2022
But now, one NFL insider revealed the next step involving Akers and the Rams.
‘Hoping for Fair Resolution’
NFL insider for CBS Sports Josina Anderson revealed what is officially next for Akers…and if it involves a possible return to the “Rams House” after all.
“New: With RB Cam Akers not traded by the deadline, I’m told Akers is hoping for a fair resolution for his future beyond the Rams, as he feels suiting up for them again this season isn’t in the best interest for his NFL path — though the relationship is still amicable, per source,” Anderson tweeted.
From how it reads: Akers has no interest in returning to his locker and wearing the Rams horns for the rest of the season.
Already, the Rams have gravitated away from Akers in the last two games against the Panthers and San Francisco 49ers. Darrell Henderson handled RB1 duties for the 24-10 win over Carolina. “Hendo,” however, was battling an illness during the week of practice leading up to the Sunday, October 30 home game against the 49ers and missed Wednesday practice. Undrafted rookie Ronnie Rivers got the opportunity to start for the Rams in the 31-14 loss to San Francisco.
Before the 49ers game, however, ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter revealed the Rams’ plan in the event Akers is not traded.
“The Los Angeles Rams are not planning to part ways with Cam Akers if they are unable to trade the third-year running back, sources told ESPN,” Schefter wrote on Sunday morning. “The Rams would find a trade partner for Akers in a perfect world, according to sources, but they also recognize that he can still help them this season. Therefore, if Akers is not dealt before Tuesday’s NFL trade deadline, he is expected to return to the Rams and play for them again this season, sources said.”
But per Anderson’s reporting, Akers gives the notion that he isn’t returning to the field for the Rams. His last appearance as a Ram was the October 9 loss to the Dallas Cowboys 22-10 — which saw Akers finish the afternoon in Inglewood with 13 carries for 33 yards.
Former Ram Also Not Moved
While many around the league monitored what would become of Akers, there was another potential move with a lot of scrutiny that involved a former 1,000-yard Rams wideout.
Brandin Cooks of the Houston Texans was the subject of trade rumblings, even not showing up for practice as revealed by ESPN Texans reporter DJ Bien-Aime.
I currently don’t see WR Brandin Cooks at #Texans walkthrough practice right now.
Cooks, who played 2018 and 2019 with the Rams which included a 1,204-yard campaign in his first season with L.A., was additionally linked as a trade possibility for the Rams. Cooks, however, remained with the Texans.
No trade for #Texans WR Brandin Cooks, source said. There were talks. But nothing came of it.