Akiem Hicks is being linked to another playoff contender.
Akiem Hicks has been a part of the Chicago Bears organization for 6 seasons now. He has been a focal point of the Bears' defense ever since. His impact has been tremendous on the field. Hicks is not the guy that shows up on the stats sheet a lot, but the work he puts in is so important.
However, Hicks has been having more and more injury problems for the past three years. He has missed over 20 games during that time and when he was on the field, he didn't look as dominant as he once was. When you mix that with the coaching changes we see at literally every position, you could expect Hicks to look elsewhere.
According to PFF, the best fit for Hicks should be the Los Angeles Chargers.
I think he would, indeed, be a great fit in Los Angeles. The Chargers are one of the most talented teams in the NFL and I believe that with a few great veteran pieces like Hicks, they could truly take the next step into a top team in the AFC.
We have heard reports that Hicks is looking for a pretty hefty contract nearing the double-digits million per year. I am not quite sure that Hicks will get exactly what he might be searching for in the free agency market. Let's just say that not many teams will try to offer a long-term 10+ million dollar contract to a 32-year-old defensive tackle. That does not mean that Hicks is done, it just means that you have to proceed with caution with a guy this age that had injury problems. You don't want to throw bad contracts all around the place to veterans on the downside of their career (aka Jimmy Graham, Mike Glennon, Nick Foles).
I think the only way the Bears should bring him is if Hicks does not fit a suitor in free agency and he wants to come back on a one-year deal, at a cheap price. Hicks has been so great for Chicago that you would hate to see him move on with another team, but I think the Bears might choose that way and try to get younger.
Here is a quote he said back in September 2021: «I'll do everything in my power to retire a Bear». This may tell us what the future holds for one of the best Bears players in the past decade.
