Hakeem Nicks confirmed Tuesday he met with the Giants last week but indicated the get-together offered no resolution on his status for the 2014 season and beyond.
The veteran wide receiver, who is eligible to become an unrestricted free agency this offseason if the Giants don’t apply the franchise tag, said he wants to stay with Big Blue but got few answers from the team during the meeting.
“I really don’t know what to expect right now,” Nicks said while appearing at a school charity event on the Lower East Side. “[The Giants said] there’s some stuff going on as far as the coaching changes right now.
“So right now, we’re just taking time to step away from it. When it’s time to handle all that, it’ll happen.”
Nicks is just 25 years old and a former first-round pick by the Giants, but his stock has fallen precipitously the past two seasons — especially after he failed to score even once during this year’s 7-9 finish.
That might explain why he has been so open recently about his desire to remain a Giant, even indicating he would consider giving them a “hometown discount” on a new contract.
Nicks reiterated his love of the Giants on Tuesday.
“I understand the business side of things if it doesn’t happen, but we all know this is where I want to be,” he said. “This is where I got drafted, I enjoy playing in New York, and I like it.”
If Nicks does remain, he will do so under a new offensive coordinator after Kevin Gilbride — the only play-caller Nicks has known in his five-year NFL career — retired after the end of the season.
Nicks said he was surprised by Gilbride’s retirement, even though there were rumors floating inside the locker room in December that it might happen.
“I’ve been playing for Coach Gilbride since I came into the league, and I have a great relationship with him,” Nicks said. “I loved playing in his system and loved playing for him. I haven’t had a chance to reach out to him yet, but I will just to give him my appreciation and my thanks.”
Nicks also endorsed former Giants receivers coach Mike Sullivan to replace Gilbride. Sullivan, recently fired as the Buccaneers’ offensive coordinator, is supposed to interview for the job Wednesday along with former Titans offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains.
Nicks favors Sullivan because he likely would run a system similar to Gilbride’s, which Nicks said would be important to quarterback Eli Manning, too.
“Coach Sully’s a good coach, and I loved playing for him my rookie year when he was coaching me at receiver,” Nicks said. “I feel like he knows the game extremely well, and he has a lot to bring to the table. I’m sure Eli would want to have the same system and wouldn’t want anything to change since it worked for us in the past.”
Asked if he was paying attention to the Giants’ coordinator search in light of his possible free-agent exit, Nicks nodded.
“I feel like I’m still a part of it,” he said, “so I’m definitely watching it.