The St. Louis Rams have completed their first free-agent acquisition of the offseason, signing former Titans and Patriots linebacker Akeem Ayers.
Ayers, 25, began last season as a member of the Titans but was traded to New England in October for a 2015 sixth-round pick. He started in four of the nine games he appeared in as a member of the Super Bowl-winning Patriots, recording 20 tackles (16 solo), four sacks and an interception.
Originally drafted 39th overall by Tennessee in 2011, he has participated in 59 games over his four-year career, logging 252 tackles, 13 sacks, three interceptions, three forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.
With the Titans, Ayers played for two current members of the Rams' coaching staff. Defensive coordinator Gregg Williams was Tennessee's senior defensive assistant in 2013, while linebackers coach Frank Bush held the same position in 2011 and 2012.
Ayers garnered third-team All-America honors from the Associated Press as a sophomore at UCLA after he finished the 2009 campaign with 75 tackles, six sacks, four interceptions and three defensive touchdowns. He was equally effective in 2010, collecting 68 tackles, four sacks and a pair of interceptions, which earned him a spot among the five finalists for the Butkus Award.
He declared for the NFL Draft at the end of his junior season.
Terms of Ayers' contract with the Rams were not disclosed, though a report from ESPN's Nick Wagoner indicates that the deal is worth $6 million ($3 million guaranteed) and could go as high as $10 million through incentives.
