Hakeem Nicks - Pro Football Rumors

Giants Notes: Nicks, Tuck, Wilson, Beason

February 22nd, 2014 at 9:51am CST by Matt Feminis

Giants Senior Vice President & General Manager Jerry Reese spoke to the media Saturday morning and Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post tweeted some of the topics addressed:

Hakeem Nicks and Justin Tuck will hit the free agent market (via Twitter).
The team is optimistic about David Wilson‘s neck injury, but will likely select a running back in the draft (Twitter).
Uncertainty about the health of Chris Snee (wrist) and David Baas (knee) is making offensive line decisions difficult (Twitter).
Jon Beason, who was acquired in trade last season and recorded 93 tackles and an interception in 11 starts, will become an unrestricted free agent, but the Giants want him back (Twitter).

Hakeem Nicks Joins CAA, Roc Nation

February 20th, 2014 at 9:58am CST by Luke Adams

Jay Z’s Roc Nation Sports has added another noteworthy NFL client to its roster. Pending free agent Hakeem Nicks announced today via Twitter that he is “proud to become a part of the Roc Nation Sports family!” A league source tells Pro Football Talk (Twitter link) that while Roc Nation will be representing Nicks for marketing purposes, CAA will negotiate his next contract.

Although Nicks’ new partnership with CAA and Roc Nation doesn’t necessarily make the Giants any more likely to retain the free agent receiver, it’s worth noting that longtime teammate Victor Cruz has a similar arrangement with CAA and Roc Nation. Cruz has publicly admitted that he’s been lobbying for Nicks to remain in New York.

While Nicks is coming off a down year in 2013, having failed to score a single TD on 56 catches, while accumulating 896 yards, he has plenty of upside and is still just 26 years old. As our Rob DiRe wrote in a recent look at Nicks’ free agent stock, the former first-round pick could turn out to be a No. 1 caliber receiver available for the price of a No. 2. However, with new representation on board, Nicks is unlikely to be a bargain buy.

Poll: Where Will Hakeem Nicks Sign?

February 16th, 2014 at 6:12pm CST by David Kipke

Earlier this weekend, our own Rob DiRe discussed the free agency of wide receiver Hakeem Nicks. In his piece, DiRe identifies three potential suitors for Nicks, all of which are likely interested in one-year deals. DiRe’s piece outlined how Nicks would provide the Detroit Lions with a weapon across from Calvin Johnson; that Nicks would be interested in returning to his hometown and play with Cam Newton for the Carolina Panthers; and that the Indianapolis Colts had also shown interest in the former Super Bowl champion.

Where do you think Nicks will sign? If you think it would make better sense for another team not discussed in the article to sign Nicks, please discuss your thoughts in the comments section below.

Free Agent Stock Watch: Hakeem Nicks

February 15th, 2014 at 4:26pm CST by Rob DiRe

When looking at the landscape of free agent receivers, Eric Decker has separated himself in the eyes of general managers as the top pass catcher on the market. Our own Luke Adams wrote about Decker’s spot as the top free agent receiver earlier this month, noting that the only receivers on the market who can even come close to his production are Anquan Boldin and Julian Edelman. However, Decker was not always the clear cut big name receiver teams were looking. Last summer, Hakeem Nicks was thought to be the guy who would command the most free agent dollars this offseason.

Unlike Decker, Nicks is coming off his worst season as a pro in his contract year. He caught only 56 passes, totaling 896 yards, and very notably finished the season without a touchdown. He spent the season alternating between looking disinterested and expressing his discontent. The New York media started raking him over the coals due to his effort level about halfway through the Giants’ 0-6 start, declared him a malcontent and seemed to close the door on his tenure with the team by midseason. Trade rumors began to swirl, first with the Giants looking for a second-round pick in return. By the trade deadline, the media was wondering if the Giants could even expect a fourth-round pick in return. All in all, 2013 fell short of expectations for Nicks to say the least.

While Nicks cost himself a ton of money with a down 2013, teams interested in acquiring a number one caliber receiver for a cheap price could be enamored with the 26-year-old. Coming into last season the only knock on Nicks was his durability, as he had trouble staying on the field for Big Blue and often when he was on the field, he was playing at less than 100%. Shoulder, ankle, and knee injuries nagged him throughout the 2011 and 2012 seasons. When teammate Victor Cruz signed his extension last offseason, the sentiment was for Nicks to prove he can stay healthy and his deal would follow. Nicks was mostly healthy last year, but to no avail.

For teams interested in finding a talented receiver in free agency, long-term memory may have them leaning toward Nicks. It feels like forever ago, but in 2010, Nicks caught 79 balls, for 1,052 yards and a whopping 11 touchdowns in 12 starts. He followed that up with 76 catches for 1,192 yards and seven more touchdowns in 15 games in 2011. His most impressive stretch came during the Giants’ Super Bowl run, where he was the team’s most dominant offensive player, putting impressive numbers as he propelled the Giants to victory:

Wild Card Round vs. Falcons – six catches, 115 yards, two touchdowns
Divisional Round at Packers – seven catches, 165 yards, two touchdowns
NFC Championship at 49ers – five catches, 55 yards (left with shoulder injury)
Super Bowl vs. Patriots – ten catches, 109 yards

Had he reached free agency that offseason, his value would be much different. An injury-plagued 2012 season leading into this past year has dimmed the light shining on a player who was recently thought of as one of the top young playmakers in the NFL. Nicks is unlikely to re-sign with the Giants, even at a reduced rate, although Cruz has pushed for him to return. He may find himself on a one-year “prove it” deal with some team. Brad Wells of StampedeBlue.com believes the Colts could be able to lure him in on a one-year, $2.2MM deal.

Andrew Cohen of OverTheCap.com broke down the wide receiver market earlier this month, he saw Nicks as still deserving of a bigger contract. Cohen predicted Nicks to the Lions on a three-year, $30MM deal with about $13MM in guaranteed money. The thinking behind this was that the Lions are ready to win now, and positioning a star like Nick across from Calvin Johnson could take the offense to new heights. If Nicks was willing to take a smaller deal, Cam Newton and the Panthers are in desperate need of a bigger receiver, and the North Carolina product might consider his hometown if the market didn’t present a more lucrative option.

While his durability and effort level have provided serious red flags to his pending free agency, there should be some team out there with money to spend on potential. The draft will provide teams with a number of options at receiver, as it is supposed to be a deep class highlighted by Sammy Watkins of Clemson, Mike Evans of Texas A&M, and Marquise Lee of USC, all three of which are expected to be drafted in the first round.

Nicks is a 6’1″, 208-pound wideout, with impressive speed and playmaking ability. At 26 years old, and with the numbers he put up only a few years ago, he could command more money than most expect in a year where the other top free agent options are Decker and Boldin. While some may think Decker is a number two wideout about to be paid like a number one, Nicks is the buy-low option, where a team can pay him like a number two and hold out hope that he produces like the number one option he was in 2010 and 2011.

East Notes: Nicks, Cowboys, Patriots, Jets

February 13th, 2014 at 9:57am CST by Luke Adams

Here are a few of the latest links of note from out of the NFC’s and AFC’s East divisions:

Victor Cruz has lobbied for fellow Giants receiver and pending free agent Hakeem Nicks to re-sign with New York, according to Conor Orr of the Star-Ledger. “Selfishly, I would love for him to stay,” Cruz said, confirming that he’s talked to Nicks about it.
As if the Cowboys didn’t already have enough 2014 cap commitments, running back DeMarco Murray will have a slightly higher cap number than expected, as Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com details. Murray triggered performance escalators that will bump his base salary from about $755K to nearly $1.4MM.
In a photo gallery, the Dallas Morning News suggests 10 free agent quarterbacks the Cowboys might consider as a No. 3 option behind Tony Romo or Kyle Orton.
Mike Reiss of ESPN.com attempts to gauge the free agent value of Aqib Talib around the NFL by compiling a few links to see where Talib ranks on various lists of top free agents. As Reiss writes, the veteran cornerback will be among the Patriots‘ top priorities this offseason.
In a separate blog entry, Reiss weighs in on a few other Patriots stories, indicating that he doesn’t think Josh McDaniels was as interested in the Browns’ head coaching job as an earlier report suggests, and that he believe the Pats will again have interest in free agent receiver Emmanuel Sanders this offseason.
With the right side of the Jets‘ offensive line poised to hit free agency, it would behoove the team to re-sign both guard Willie Colon and tackle Austin Howard, writes Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com. Cimini expects the club to make a “strong push” to re-sign Howard, while perhaps taking a wait-and-see approach with Colon and the right guard position.