Hakeem Nicks

Patriots Work Out Hakeem Nicks

The Patriots worked out wide receiver Hakeem Nicks on Monday, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The wide receiver has been making the workout rounds as he searches for a new team in 2015. The Patriots could have interest in adding the veteran, but their real interest could be intel. The Pats take on the Colts this Sunday in Indianapolis.

Nicks, who spent his first five years with the Giants, posting multiple 1,000-yard seasons in New York, caught just 38 balls for 405 yards and four touchdowns last year in Indianapolis. He found a new home in free agency when he signed with the Titans earlier in the year, but Tennessee opted to keep just four wideouts on the roster to start the season, cutting Nicks in September. The veteran wideout has since worked out for the Saints, Cowboys, and Giants.

Nicks first reached unrestricted free agency in March 2014 and signed a modest one-year contract with the Colts. While fellow 2009 first-round wideout Jeremy Maclin parlayed a one-year, prove-it deal in 2014 into a huge, long-term contract, Nicks was unable to do the same in Indianapolis

Giants Working Out Wes Welker, Hakeem Nicks

As part of their weekly workout for free agents, the Giants are bringing in a pair of notable veteran receivers today, according to Josina Anderson of ESPN.com, who reports (via Twitter) that Wes Welker and Hakeem Nicks are getting a look from the club. We heard yesterday that New York is also trying out former Washington tight end Chris Cooley today, so it should be an interesting session.

Of course, just because the Giants are bringing in Welker, Nicks, and Cooley for auditions, it doesn’t mean the team intends to sign any of them. Like other teams around the league, the Giants bring in free agents every week to get an idea of what’s available in case they need to add a player to the roster at some point.

Still, the Giants haven’t gotten great production from their receivers so far this season. While Odell Beckham has been his usual self, Preston Parker was cut due to problems with drops, and Victor Cruz has yet to see the field. Rueben Randle also caught just four passes in his first two games before posting big numbers in Week 3, and the Giants have watched James Jones – released during the preseason – get off to a huge start in Green Bay.

With Randle showing signs of life last week, and Cruz close to returning, I wouldn’t expect the Giants to roll the dice on Welker or Nicks, but their auditions are still worth monitoring. Welker, who has a history of concussions, hasn’t received much interest this year due to questions about his health. Nicks, meanwhile, has a history with the Giants, having enjoyed his best seasons with Big Blue. However, over the last couple years, he hasn’t looked like the same player he was during his 1,000-yard seasons in New York.

Quarterback Phillip Sims is among the other players working out today for the Giants, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (via Twitter).

Cowboys Working Out Hakeem Nicks, Others

With Dez Bryant sidelined for at least the next month, the Cowboys are considering adding some extra roster depth at wide receiver, and the team is bringing in several free agents today for workouts. According to Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com, the Cowboys are taking a look at Hakeem Nicks, Nick Toon, Austin Pettis, and Clyde Gates.

Nicks, who spent his first five years with the Giants, posting multiple 1,000-yard seasons in New York, caught just 38 balls for 405 yards and four touchdowns last year in Indianapolis. He found a new home in free agency when he signed with the Titans earlier in the year, but Tennessee opted to keep just four wideouts on the roster to start the season, cutting Nicks earlier this month. The veteran wideout has since worked out for the Saints as well.

While Nicks is obviously the biggest name in the group, all four wideouts have NFL experience, and each has at least one season with double-digit receptions on his résumé. Outside of Nicks, Pettis has the most career catches (95), including 38 for the Rams in 2013.

If the Cowboys do add a veteran free agent to their wide receiving corps, I wouldn’t expect the new player to have a major role in the offense during Bryant’s absence. Instead, players like Terrance Williams, Cole Beasley, Devin Street, and Jason Witten figure to get a few more looks until the club’s No. 1 receiver returns.

Hakeem Nicks Working Out For Saints

After spending a year with the Colts and then being released by the Titans several days ago, Hakeem Nicks is auditioning for another South team today, but this one’s an NFC squad. Per Nick Underhill of the New Orleans Advocate (Twitter link), Nicks is visiting and working out for the Saints.

Nicks, who spent his first five years with the Giants, posting multiple 1,000-yard seasons in New York, caught just 38 balls for 405 yards and four touchdowns last year in Indianapolis. He found a new home in free agency when he signed with the Titans earlier in the year, but Tennessee opted to keep just four wideouts on the roster to start the season, cutting Nicks on Saturday.

It’s not clear if the Saints have legit interest in signing Nicks, or if the team is simply gauging the free agent market for potential options once the season gets underway. But New Orleans did trade two of its top pass-catchers in the offseason, sending Jimmy Graham to Seattle and Kenny Stills to Miami.

According to Evan Woodbery of the New Orleans Times-Picayune (via Twitter), the Saints are also working out at least one tight end today, with ex-Jaguar Connor Hamlett in town.

Titans Release Hakeem Nicks

A year after setting new career-lows in catches and receiving yards, Hakeem Nicks hasn’t survived preseason roster cuts. According to Terry McCormick of 247Sports.com (Twitter links), Nicks has been released by the Titans. However, McCormick adds that there’s a chance the team could re-sign the wideout after Week 1, when veteran salaries no longer become guaranteed for the season.

Nicks, who spent his first five years with the Giants, posting multiple 1,000-yard seasons in New York, caught just 38 balls for 405 yards and four touchdowns last year in Indianapolis.

An August report suggested that there would be some interest in Nicks if the Titans were to release him, but it took a while for him to find a home in free agency earlier this year, so I can’t imagine the competition over him this time around will be particularly fierce.

Hakeem Nicks, James Jones Drawing Interest

According to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link), Hakeem Nicks, James Jones, Deonte Thompson, and Vincent Brown are among the wide receivers drawing interest around the NFL as potential release candidates, in that order. He adds that the Panthers, Ravens, Packers are a few of the teams considering adding wideouts as the season draws near.

The Panthers, of course, are in the market for a reliable target after Kelvin Benjamin suffered a season-ending injury. The Ravens could also use a receiver with promising rookie Breshad Perriman currently sidelined. And the Packers are undoubtedly scouring the market for options now that Jordy Nelson is confirmed to be done for the 2015 season. While sources tell Cole that Nicks will generally get the most attention of this quartet, the Packers are more interested in Jones that the rest of the bunch, due in part to their familiarity with him.

Nicks, 27, first reached unrestricted free agency in March 2014, and signed a modest one-year contract with the Colts after spending the first five seasons of his NFL career with the Giants. While fellow 2009 first-round wideout Jeremy Maclin parlayed a one-year, prove-it deal in 2014 into a huge, long-term contract, Nicks was unable to do the same in Indianapolis. Currently, Nicks is on a one-year deal with the Titans that holds a modest guarantee and he could be days away from hitting the open market again.

Jones had 73 catches for 666 yards and six touchdowns last season with the Raiders in 2014. This offseason, the veteran hooked on with the Giants and it has been widely speculated that he could be released before the final rosters are set. His best individual output came in 2013, when he hauled in 64 passes for 784 yards and a career-best 14 TDs for the Packers.

 

Extra Points: Mexico, Milliner, Walker, Nicks

As the NFL continues to expand its presence in London, the next step in forwarding the game internationally could be Mexico City. There has been a suggestion that the NFL will play five games there, starting in 2017, writes Conor Orr of NFL.com.

This has not been made official by the NFL as of yet, and spokesman Michael Signora had this to say in response to that report:

“We are pleased with the growth in fan demand and the increased partner support we have enjoyed in recent years. With this in mind, we are actively assessing the opportunity to play games in Mexico. We have visited several stadiums in recent months, and are analyzing what needs to be done to bring games to Mexico. It is premature to comment specifically as to when this will happen, let alone how many, if any, games might be played.”

Here are a few more notes from around the NFL this Friday:

  • The NFL has reversed a long-standing policy that regulated practice squad contracts by prohibiting teams from negotiating non-salary items into those deals, reports Diana Marie Russini of ESPN (via Twitter). Organizations will now be allowed to offer signing bonuses, roster bonuses, and guaranteed money to practice squad players (via Twitter). Russini expects this to cause teams to aggressively pursue other franchises’ top practice squad players (via Twitter).
  • With Dee Milliner‘s recent injury, Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News reminds fans that the Jets received a number of trade inquiries on the former first round pick. He adds that at least one team was still interested as recently as this week, before the injury (via Twitter).
  • The Patriots have opened up talks with defensive tackle Casey Walker about a possible return to the team, reports Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald (via Twitter).
  • Former Super Bowl hero Hakeem Nicks is fighting for his NFL career after signing a one-year deal with the Titans, writes Teresa Walker of the Associated Press. The chance to start across from Kendall Wright is an open competition, and Nicks will have to prove himself against former-Falcon Harry Douglas, rookie second-round pick Dorial Green-Beckham, and Justin Hunter.

Titans To Sign Hakeem Nicks

WEDNESDAY, 5:23pm: It’s a one-year, $1.4MM deal with $100K fully guaranteed, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Caplan (on Twitter).

FRIDAY, 12:46pm: It’s a one-year deal for Nicks, according to Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com (via Twitter).

12:04pm: Teams with interest in free agent wide receiver Hakeem Nicks have been informed that he’ll be signing with the Titans, reports Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports (Twitter link). Nicks had visited Tennessee to meet with the Titans earlier this month.

Nicks, 27, first reached unrestricted free agency in March 2014, and signed a modest one-year contract with the Colts after spending the first five seasons of his NFL career with the Giants. While fellow 2009 first-round wideout Jeremy Maclin parlayed a one-year, prove-it deal in 2014 into a huge, long-term contract, Nicks was unable to do the same in Indianapolis.

After receiving 100 or more targets in each of his previous four seasons in New York, Nicks saw a career-low 68 passes thrown his way in 2014, as Andrew Luck and the Colts relied more on T.Y. Hilton, Reggie Wayne, and Coby Fleener in the passing game. Nicks finished the season with 405 yards and three touchdowns on 38 receptions, and visited the 49ers before catching on with the Titans.

While Nicks has a pair of 1,000-yard seasons under his belt, his mediocre recent production suggests that his signing shouldn’t affect the Titans’ draft plans significantly. There has been some recent speculation that the Titans could draft a wideout in the first round, particularly if the team trades down. A roster lacking star power could particularly benefit from selecting a player like Amari Cooper or Kevin White.

Still, having added Nicks and Harry Douglas to go along with presumed starting receivers Kendall Wright and Justin Hunter, Tennessee probably has other positions more in need of fortification.

Free Agent Stock Watch: Hakeem Nicks

After Michael Crabtree signed with the Raiders earlier this week, Hakeem Nicks suddenly became the most intriguing free-agent wide receiver still on the market. Greg Jennings might have something to say about that, but in terms of potential upside, Nicks presents the best opportunity for a low-risk investment to pay significant dividends.

At just 27, Nicks already has a fairly impressive resume. In the 2010 and 2011 seasons, the former 29th-overall pick averaged 78 receptions for more than 1,100 yards and nine touchdowns for the Giants. He was also a major contributor to New York’s Super Bowl title in 2011, averaging seven receptions and 111 yards per game over the team’s four-game playoff run (including a 10-catch, 109-yard performance in Super Bowl XLVI). He also grabbed four touchdowns during that stretch. Combined with Victor Cruz’s breakout 2011 season, it appeared as if Eli Manning would have one of the most dynamic pair of receivers in the league at his disposal for the foreseeable future.

Hakeem Nicks (vertical)

Unfortunately, the injury bug struck Nicks as the Giants prepared to defend their title. During OTAs in May 2012, Nicks fractured the fifth metatarsal in his right foot and was forced to undergo surgery. As a result, he missed valuable training camp time, and even when he returned to the field, he had to play through pain. He landed hard on his right knee during the Giants’ Week 2 contest that year, and he ultimately missed three consecutive games due to knee swelling.

Although he suited up on game days the rest of the season, he was rarely able to practice with the team, and it was clear that the injuries had sapped a great deal of his explosiveness and playmaking ability. His numbers—and the Giants’ offense—suffered as a result. In the last two games of the season, Nicks failed to record a single catch, playing just one snap in the finale.

The former North Carolina standout enjoyed a statistical uptick in 2013, but he failed to crack 900 receiving yards and did not catch a single touchdown despite playing in 15 games. He therefore signed a one-year “prove it” deal with the Colts last season, but he was unable to prove much of anything. Nicks was lost in the shuffle of an otherwise explosive aerial attack led by Andrew Luck, who favored Reggie Wayne, T.Y. Hilton, and Coby Fleener. Nicks recorded a mere 38 catches for 405 yards and four touchdowns, and he was targeted just 68 times after receiving over 100 targets in each of his previous four years with the Giants.

The once-promising wideout is consequently looking for another team to offer him the same opportunity the Colts did. Nicks has visited with both the 49ers and Titans, but has otherwise failed to generate a great deal of interest. It is somewhat telling that the Dolphins, who are known to be in the market for a veteran receiver, were apparently more interested in Crabtree, Jennings, and Wes Welker.

Nicks may not be able to recapture his 2011 form, but given his relative youth and record of productivity, one would have to think there is some truth to his assertion that he is “nowhere near finished.” Perhaps on a team like Tennessee or Miami, which feature several talented but young receivers, Nicks would be able to succeed. But if San Francisco is still interested, the 49ers may represent the best opportunity for him. He offers some of the downfield ability of Torrey Smith but is more akin to Anquan Boldin in terms of his route-running and good hands, and is therefore a quality complement to both. Guided by a capable quarterback in Colin Kaepernick, Nicks could thrive in the Bay Area.

But regardless of where he lands, it would be a surprise for him to get much more than the one-year, $3MM deal that Crabtree just signed. And if his 2015 numbers do not show a marked improvement over what he compiled in 2014, he may, in fact, be finished, as the promise of 2011 gets pushed further into the rear-view mirror.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

 

Hakeem Nicks Visiting Titans

Despite being only 27 years old, receiver Hakeem Nicks hasn’t generated much interest on the free agent market. But after telling Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports last week that he is “nowhere near finished,” Nicks has in fact lined up a visit, as he’s meeting with the Titans today, according to Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean (Twitter link).

Nicks was highly productive during stretches of his time with the Giants, particularly from 2010-11, when he averaged 78 receptions for more than 1,100 yards and nine touchdowns. He faded during the latter portion of his time with New York, however, and was forced to take a one-year deal with the Colts prior to the 2014 season. Nicks continued to struggle in Indianapolis, catching just 38 passes for 405 yards.

But the North Carolina product’s youth is obviously enticing, and he’d add depth to a Titans receiving corps that is mostly fronted by young players. With Kendall Wright and Justin Hunter currently projected as starters, and free agent signee Harry Douglas penciled in as Tennessee’s No. 3, Nicks would have to fight for playing time.

Nicks has only taken one other known visit, as he met with the 49ers near the end of March.