Hakeem Nicks must have not liked the way his first foray into free agency came across when on Saturday word came down he would be willing to sign a one-year, prove-it contract in order to reestablish his market value. And so, a day later, he not only stated he’s seeking a long-term deal, but he even mentioned the Colts, Chargers and Panthers as possible landing spots.
“I just want to make it clear that I want a long-term deal,’’ Nicks told ESPN on Sunday, a day after his representation told ESPN he’d be open to a one-year deal.
So it goes in NFL free agency, where reports come and go, sometimes from the same source, sometimes contradicting what the first one indicated. What this means, mostly, is Nicks is almost definitely not going to re-sign with the Giants, the team that made him a 2009 first-round draft pick. There doesn’t seem to be any way the Giants will go the extra mile to give Nicks a lucrative, long-term contract, not after two subpar seasons and lingering questions whether he gave everything he had last year.
“Ideally, this is what I want,” Nicks said in Sunday’s ESPN report. “I want to go to a team where I’m the missing link. There are a number of teams that I have my eye on once I hit the market. I know if I went to a place like Indianapolis I would be dangerous with a quarterback like Andrew Luck. I can see myself catching passes from Cam Newton or even Philip Rivers.”
Note there was no mention of the Giants. Clearly, Nicks has his eyes on playing for a team with a top-level quarterback after spending his first five NFL seasons catching passes from Eli Manning. That duo did not click in 2013 anywhere near as effectively as it had in previous years — Nicks did not have a single touchdown catch — but despite knee and foot problems, he is only 26 years old and still has a huge upside.
Nicks figures to attract plenty of interest and likely will start setting up visits once Tuesday arrives and teams can speak with him directly. Until then, the only contact interested teams can have is with Nicks’ agent.
“Players have already started to reach out to me from other teams saying they would love for me to come join them,’’ Nicks told ESPN. “I just want to make it clear that I want a long-term deal and I want to be happy. I’m excited about talking to teams and making it work.”