The St. Louis Rams signed LB Akeem Ayers, the team announced today. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Ayers joins the Rams after spending the majority of last season with the New England Patriots who acquired the former UCLA Bruin in a trade from the Tennessee Titans seven games into the regular season. As a Patriot, he appeared in nine games with four starts and recorded 20 tackles (16 solo), 4.0 sacks and an interception, according to coaches’ film review. He concluded his stint with New England with a Super Bowl XLIX victory over the defending world champion Seattle Seahawks.
Ayers was originally selected in the second round (39th overall) of the 2011 NFL draft by the Titans. Since entering the league, he has played in 59 games (47 starts) and registered 252 tackles (170 solo) and 13.0 sacks. He also recorded 15 passes defensed, three interceptions, three forced fumbles and one fumble recovery over his four-year career.
In college, the Los Angeles, Calif. native played in 37 games with 28 starts at strongside outside linebacker over three seasons at UCLA. He finished his career with 183 tackles, 14.0 sacks and 29½ tackles for loss. He also caused seven fumbles, recovered four fumbles and tallied six interceptions for 100 yards with two touchdowns while earning All-America honors in his final two seasons and was one of five finalists for the 2010 Butkus Award.
