New England Patriots Should Stay Away From Hakeem Nicks
By Tim Dillon
Oct 6, 2013; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants wide receiver Hakeem Nicks (88) celebrates a pass reception during the first half against the Philadelphia Eagles at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim O
It’s no secret that the New England Patriots are in need of an upgrade at the wide receiver position, even though the rookies have grown a bit each week. Danny Amendola left Sunday’s game dizzy and disoriented after getting hit to the head by a Saints defender and crashing onto the turf. He was able to return for just two games before getting injured again, although obviously this injury was not his fault. With the continued absence of Rob Gronkowski and unsure presence of Amendola, could the Patriots be looking to trade for a receiver before the October 29 trade deadline?
After starting the season at a miserable 0-6, the New York Giants may begin fielding offers for their star WR Hakeem Nicks, who posted back-to-back 1,000 yard seasons in ’10 and ’11. Nicks will be a free-agent at the end of this season, so a team trading for him may just be looking for a rental option to help with a playoff push, but this rental will be costly. Several GMs believe that the Giants could get at least a third-round draft pick for Nicks, who is even open to returning to the Giants once he hits the free agency. So if the Patriots (or any other team) were to trade for Nicks, there is no guarantee he would be around the following season while that draft pick(s) will have been surrendered.
The Patriots currently have all of their assigned draft picks for the 2014 draft, so they do have commodities to bargain with, but is a rental really worth a third-round pick and possibly more? The Patriots are 5-1 and, despite all the injuries and inexperience, have been able to overcome the odds and grind out wins. If they were 2-4 or even 3-3, then maybe the Nicks-rental might be worth it since it could push them into more serious playoff contention. At 5-1, the main concerns for the Patriots should be the continued growth of the young receivers and getting injured players back on the field. Unless Nicks can come at a reasonable price, the Patriots should stay away.