Whether or not Hakeem Nicks returns to the Giants will come down to many factors, the dominant one, as usual, being money.
There is little doubt the Giants will make some sort of offer to retain Nicks, their first-round draft pick in 2009. They need to upgrade a receiver position that currently has Victor Cruz, Rueben Randle and the suddenly-ascending Jerrel Jernigan. Where Nicks fits is debatable, considering the immense talent and production he showed earlier in his career and the injury-stalled, production-starved past two seasons.
Everything will be evaluated – his health, his desire, his attitude, his value from a financial standpoint, how in the world in 2013 he played in 15 games, had only 56 receptions for 896 yards and, incredibly, failed to secure a single touchdown catch.
Mixed in with determining how much he’s worth will be the fines the team levied on Nicks this past season for lateness and missing scheduled treatment sessions, fines reported Sunday by the NFL Network and confirmed by The Post. You could sense coach Tom Coughlin growing increasingly frustrated with Nicks, at first supportive and then hopeful and later irritated as the weeks passed and Nicks failed to show much of the athletic impact he made his first three years in the league.
However, if the Giants discount every player who was fined this season for lateness or missing a treatment session they might not be able to field a team in 2014. Nicks sent out some mixed signals, sometimes appearing to have one foot out the door but late in the season stating his desire to return and saying money will not necessarily be the determining factor. That, of course, amounts to word games. Players equate commitment and respect to dollars and how much the Giants come up with for Nicks, compared with how much some other team determines he’s worth, will resonate louder than fines and body language.