Logan Ryan makes a play on Hakeem Nicks in the AFC championship game. (Jim Rogash/Getty Images)
When free agency begins in early March, there are a handful of players across the league who could appeal to New England. With the understanding that the status of these players could change because of the franchise or transition tag, here are a few possibilities for the Patriots to consider. We have to stress that all of these guys aren’t necessarily considered the elite of the free agent class — instead, they’re players we think would be a good fit in New England. We already featured C.J. Spiller, and this series will continue over the coming days and weeks.
Hakeem Nicks
Position: Wide receiver
Age: 27 (Jan. 14, 1988)
Height: 6-foot-1
Weight: 208 pounds
The skinny: Nicks is coming off a disappointing and underachieving season in Indianapolis, where he signed a one-year, $5.5 million free agent contract last March. Since his breakout seasons of 2010 and ’11, Nicks has fallen off the map in terms of production. In 2010, just his second season, he had 79 catches for 1,052 yards and 11 touchdowns. The next season, he was a key part of Giants Super Bowl championship run, hauling in 76 catches for a career high 1,192 yards and seven touchdowns. It was that production that opened the door for Victor Cruz to break onto the season for the Giants. But in the three seasons since then, Nicks has a total of seven touchdowns and hasn’t broken the 900-yard plateau.
By the numbers: In the Week 17 game against the Titans, Nicks had 3 receptions for 46 yards, putting him over 5,000 receiving yards for his career. But he finished his first season in Indy with just 38 catches for 408 yards and four touchdowns. In his last three seasons, Nicks has managed yardage seasons of 692, 896 and 405 respectively.
Why it would work: Nicks could be a viable and relatively cheap option to bring into camp to push Aaron Dobson and Brian Tyms and add depth to the receiving corps. Nicks could be looking for that one bust-out season to show that 2010 and ’11 were not just flashes in the pan. He is playing for one more big contract. He also could be very well motivated to work with Tom Brady (who wouldn’t be?) as Brady aims for a record fifth Super Bowl title. Bill Belichick knows Nicks’ game very well from preparing for him twice in 2011, including the Super Bowl against the Giants, and twice last season against the Colts, including the AFC championship. Nicks caught 10 passes for 109 yards in Super Bowl XLVI and had a nice touchdown pass on a fade route against the Patriots in the November meeting. Belichick knows you can’t have enough veteran savvy players and Nicks certainly qualifies as both. He is considered a very intelligent player who is capable of making adjustments in-game and in-route. That is a must with Tom Brady. Nicks also has a history of posting huge games: 12 catches vs. Houston, Oct. 10, 2010 and 199 receiving yards vs. Tampa Bay, Sept. 16, 2012 and three touchdowns against Carolina, Sept. 12, 2010.
Why it might not work: Numbers. Not his own but the number of receivers in the Patriots offensive system. It’s not that Nicks wouldn’t come in as one of the most talented receivers in the league. It’s how Nicks would view the way Josh McDaniels and Tom Brady would use him (or not use him) in their short and intermediate game that depends on timing more than anything. Nicks would have to accept fighting for a job on a team that already has Rob Gronkowski, Julian Edelman, Brandon LaFell, Danny Amendola and Shane Vereen as passing targets for Brady. Other receivers have come to New England and not been able to make that adjustment, and it’s not an easy one to make. In one year in Indianapolis, Nicks had to bide time behind veteran Reggie Wayne and T.Y. Hilton before falling behind Donte Moncrief on the depth chart. Nicks is likely to target a team that is a little more desperate to acquire a downfield threat. Bottom line, if a team is willing to give Nicks a multi-year deal north of $10 million, it’s hard to imagine the Patriots being players for his services.
Quote: “I still view myself as the best receiver in the league. That expectation ain’t never going to change. I’ll get a chance to prove it eventually. Just have to be patient. Being a receiver we all want the ball every play, but we understand that sacrifice is part of being on a team. You have to understand the play, the concept, understand to play team ball and everything will work out in the end for everybody.”– Nicks on his skills as a 27-year-old receiver.
Our take: Nicks still has very good separation skills off the line in press coverage but has had problems maintaining consistency and doesn’t possess the explosiveness downfield that he had with the Giants. It’s the lack of consistency that has hurt him the most in failing to produce the big numbers he put up in 2010 and ’11. At the right price (less than the $5.5 million of 2014) and with the right mindset, Nicks could provide depth on the outside with Brandon LaFell and Brian Tyms, and give Brady another target that could stretch the field. With LaFell locked up through 2016 and Julian Edelman under contract through 2017, the Patriots are by no means in a desperate situation with their receiving corps. Adding Nicks could happen, but only on the Patriots’ terms.
