Not long after being made a Cardinals cap casualty, Jordan Hicks found a new home. The Vikings are signing the veteran linebacker, Adam Caplan of Sirius XM Radio tweets.
Hicks has agreed to a two-year contract worth $10MM, Caplan adds, noting the deal includes $6.5MM guaranteed. Incentives can take the price up to $12MM. This will be Hicks’ third team; he has played every-down roles for his previous two (Philadelphia and Arizona).
The Cardinals allowed Hicks to seek a trade after they drafted Zaven Collins last year, but the team ended up keeping Hicks in his usual full-time role. Hicks played 97% of the Cards’ defensive snaps last season, starting in all 18 Arizona games. The Cards have drafted off-ball ‘backers in each of the past two first rounds (Collins and Isaiah Simmons), leaving them less needy of a veteran presence like Hicks, who is set for his age-30 season in 2022.
A Super Bowl LII starter with Philly, Hicks has also rebounded from his injury-plagued Eagles tenure. He did not miss a game in three Cardinals seasons. Hicks made 150 tackles in 2019 and surpassed 110 in each of his next two seasons, totaling 29 tackles for loss with Arizona.
The Vikings may be set to use him alongside Eric Kendricks. An eight-year Viking, Anthony Barr is a free agent. Minnesota is also starting over after eight seasons of Mike Zimmer leading its defense. Ed Donatell is now at the controls, and Minnesota is shifting to a 3-4 defense for the first time in decades.
Good signing! Guess Barr is gone as good as gone though
Not necessarily wrt Barr. They have no outside linebackers in their new 3-4 defense. They still need several starters there. There had been talk of Barr switching to that role if he left for a 3-4 defense elsewhere.
If they aren’t in love with a CB at 12 in the draft, I imagine they will look at an OLB.