Indianapolis Colts best option for Hakeem Nicks

The Indianapolis Colts signing of former New York Giants No. 1 receiver Hakeem Nicks to a cheap, one-year, “prove it” deal looked like an interesting move with low risk and potentially high reward. While the Colts didn’t lose anything substantial out of signing Nicks as their No. 3 wide receiver, they didn’t exactly reap major rewards. Nicks stunk for a second straight season, and it’s fair to wonder if there’s any hope for him to re-gain his form as even a good No. 2 receiver in this league.

It’s hard to see many teams wanting to sign him, because Nicks has been one of the most inconsistent wide receivers in the NFL over the past two seasons. He failed to make many big plays on the Colts despite the aggressive nature of the passing attack, and he ended up being their fourth option in the passing attack. If you ask me, he should have been sixth, as both rookie Donte Moncrief and tight end Dwayne Allen are significantly better, but Allen also played less games.

ESPN NFL Nation’s Mike Wells wrote that the Colts could bring back Nicks at a reduced price, and if they are interested in keeping around, he really should take that offer. Maybe Nicks would be better off featuring for a team that lacks receivers, but which team would want to entrust him with a starting job? Even a WR-needy team in the Carolina Panthers passed on him last season despite all of the connections; Nicks is an unwanted man, especially after his reported antics with the Giants.

Despite the fact that Nicks had an awful catch rate of around 55%, he could still be a useful bit player for the Colts. With Reggie Wayne essentially done, the Colts do still have an opening for a No. 3 receiver with height who can serve as a vertical threat, red zone player, and additional option in the passing attack. Andrew Luck clearly isn’t afraid of spreading the ball around, and he doesn’t mind going back to receivers after a poor play, provided they are open.

Nicks has stated that he would love to keep playing with Luck, and it sounds like he’s set on doing what he can to re-sign with the Colts. After the season he put together in 2014, though, the Colts won’t give him more than another one-year deal, and he’ll probably make less money in that season. Nicks gave the Colts some value by being another option to help T.Y. Hilton and Luck out, but his team-low 5.9 yards per attempt tell you all you need to know.

I’m not sure if the Indianapolis Colts should re-sign him, but if they reach out to Nicks, then I think he has to accept their offer. In all honesty, I can’t see any other teams going after him, because the teams that need wide receiver help will go after young and/or better options. Even though Nicks is still in his “prime” age-wise, he looks well past his prime due to balky knees. He did improve late in the season after an awful stretch of games during the middle of the year, so there’s hope that he’s slightly rounding into form.

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That hope is slim, so Nicks’s main assets to the Colts are his size and the depth he provides. Based on the slight chance of him bouncing back in some way and the fact that he’s more of a No. 3 or 4 target, he makes way more sense for a playoff team than a squad rebuilding its wide receiver corps, as that sort of team would have no use for a boom-or-bust, one-year contract wideout. Since Nicks had posted back-to-back underwhelming seasons, a contender can deal with his floor, since at least his floor still makes him a decent No. 4 receiver.

Although he would be the Colts No. 3 receiver behind the talented tandem of Hilton and Moncrief, the Colts two tight ends would be above him in the pecking order. Even so, it makes some sense for Ryan Grigson to re-sign him, since Nicks would be cheap, give them an experienced option in their high-powered passing attack, and it would allow them to focus on allocating money to improve their defense further. The Colts could easily find someone better than Nicks and might ultimately decide to do that in order to find a better possession receiver to replace Wayne fully, but maybe they feel Nicks has a place.

If the Colts decide to give him another season, then the former Giants star would be unwise to bet on himself on the open market. Because even though Nicks fits a contender better than anyone else, how many contenders would actually go after him? It’s possible that the Baltimore Ravens or Seattle Seahawks would want him as a talented, potential-boom WR4, but it’s better for him to have some continuity in his career with the Colts. The whole change-of-scenery thing didn’t work for him at first, so Nicks’s best shot might be to develop a rapport with his new star QB, whom he understandably respects a great deal.

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