The Philadelphia Eagles are bringing the son of a legendary player to their rookie minicamp, with Northwestern kicker/punter Luke Akers accepting the invite from his father’s old franchise.
“Northwestern K/P Luke Akers, the son of former Eagles 6x All-Pro K David Akers, has accepted invitations to participate in the Eagles’ and Bears’ rookie minicamps,” The 33rd Team’s Ari Meirov wrote on his official X account on Wednesday.
Luke Akers, 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds, earned All-Big Ten honors in 2025 after he averaged 44.97 yards per punt and pinned opponents inside their own 20-yard line 10 times. He also handled kickoffs while connecting on 3-of-3 field goal attempts and 2-of-2 PATs.
He was the starting punter for UCLA for his 1st 2 college seasons before transferring to Northwestern in 2022.
“For the Eagles, the kicker spot offers the more realistic opening,” Sports Illustrated’s John McMullen wrote. “Jake Elliott has posted back-to-back uneven seasons and, while he has eclipsed several of David Akers’ franchise records, inconsistency has opened the door for competition. At punter, however, the path is much steeper: Braden Mann signed a significant four-year, $14 million extension this offseason after delivering another strong campaign in 2025.”
David Akers Went Undrafted in 1997
David Akers played in the NFL for 16 seasons and established himself as 1 of the NFL’s most dominant kickers of all time with the Eagles from 1999 to 2010.
After going undrafted out of Louisville in 1997, David Akers spent 2 seasons on the practice squads for the Carolina Panthers and Atlanta Falcons before catching on with the Washington Commanders for 2 regular-season games in 1998 and spending 1999 with the Berlin Thunder in NFL Europe.
Eagles Ended Up Being Perfect Match for Philly
Once David Akers landed in Philadelphia, he caught fire. Over the next 12 seasons, he set the Eagles’ career scoring record (1,323 points), was a 6-time NFL All-Pro, 6-time Pro Bowler, led the NFL in scoring twice, and was named to the NFL’s 2000s All-Decade Team. In 2011, he set the NFL single-season record with 44 field goals.
David Akers closed out his career with 2 seasons with the San Francisco 49ers in 2011 and 2012, and 1 final season with the Detroit Lions in 2013. He was inducted into the Eagles Hall of Fame in 2017, as well as being named to the Eagles 75th Anniversary Team.
“David Akers embodies everything we look for in a player both on and off the field,” Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie said in 2017. “He was talented, reliable, tough, and of course clutch. He played a major role in the success of this franchise during his time here, but he also loved this city and our fans and he made a tremendous impact in the community. We are proud to enshrine him alongside the greatest figures in Eagles history.”
Luke Akers is still considered a massive longshot to make the Eagles — but certainly 1 fans should keep a close eye on.
“Offseason storylines around the NFL are always interesting to keep an eye on, particularly when they involve a family bloodline,” Yahoo Sports NFL reporter Adam Holt wrote on Wednesday. “The Philadelphia Eagles are in the thick of precisely that following the latest report regarding the son of a former fan favorite.”
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