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Akiem Hicks’ future with the Chicago Bears is more than a tad hazy at the moment. The Pro Bowl defensive end has spent the last five seasons of his career in the Windy City, playing in 68 games in that span.
NFL insider Adam Schefter reported on August 12 that Hicks’ agent, Drew Rosenhaus, was in Chicago at the time, trying to secure a contract extension for his client. “Akiem wants to finish his career with the Bears, if possible,” Rosenhaus said.
But nearly two weeks have gone by, and a new deal hasn’t been done. Instead, Hicks has had a few mysterious absences from Bears practice that head coach Matt Nagy won’t elaborate on, and some are starting to wonder if the Bears might be wanting to part ways with the veteran d-lineman instead of extending him.
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Analyst Suggests Swap: Hicks for Browns’ Top WR
One likely hurdle in contract negotiations with Hicks may be his price tag. The talented DE is due a base salary of $10.4 million, along with a workout bonus of $100,000 for the upcoming season. He has a cap hit of $12 million and a dead cap value of $1.5 million.
Brad Gagnon of Bleacher Report thinks one solution to the situation with Hicks could be a trade with the Cleveland Browns for — wait for it — Odell Beckham Jr.
Here’s Gagnon’s reasoning for why the trade would benefit both teams:
Y’all are going to say the Cleveland Browns aren’t trading Beckham and the Chicago Bears aren’t trading Hicks. Fine, but this is a deal the Browns would be silly not to make if the Bears were game. They were extremely successful without Beckham down the stretch last season, and they could desperately use more help in the interior defensive line. Larry Ogunjobi and Sheldon Richardson are gone at that position. Malik Jackson signed on this offseason, and Andrew Billings is back after a COVID-19 opt-out, but the former is 31 and has started just seven games over the last two years, while the latter didn’t return in ideal football shape. Meanwhile, Beckham could make life a lot easier on rookie Bears quarterback Justin Fields and Hicks is entering a contract year at age 31 with trouble potentially brewing. So don’t tell me this doesn’t make at least some sense.
Over his five seasons with Chicago, Hicks has totaled 222 tackles (156 solo, 46 for loss), five forced fumbles, five fumble recoveries, 27.5 sacks and 79 quarterback hits. He has been an invaluable presence on the defensive line, and a vocal leader in the locker room. The Bears are likely trying to work out a two-to-three year deal that requires him to take a pay cut, and he may not like that — but that may not be the situation at all. The only thing certainly regarding Akiem Hicks’ future in Chicago is that it’s currently mired in uncertainty.
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Would OBJ Be a Good Fit for Bears?
Beckham’s injury history is the primary concern with him. He missed nine games last season after tearing his ACL. Additionally, he missed 12 games in 2017 with a fractured ankle. In five of his seven seasons in the league, he has missed time with an injury of some sort, with last year’s ACL the most recent.
He has over five 1,000-yard seasons, but he hasn’t made the Pro Bowl since 2016, and his yards-per-game average has steadily declined over the years. He averaged a league-high 108.8 yards per game as a rookie in 2014 with the New York Giants, but before his injury last year, he was down to 45.6 yards a game.
OBJ turns 29 years old in November, and he has a cap hit of over $15 million this year. Considering the current state of their wide receivers room, bringing Beckham in doesn’t seem necessary, especially at that price. Gagnon didn’t seem to consider that the Bears currently have just over $4 million in available cap space, and they would actually be paying Beckham more than Hicks. No thank you.
Chicago would be better served riding with Allen Robinson and Darnell Mooney as WR1 and WR2, while giving opportunities to the likes of rookie Dazz Newsome, veterans Marquise Goodwin and Damiere Byrd, or even preseason standout Rodney Adams instead.
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