The New York Giants face a tough decision this offseason when it comes to wide receiver Hakeem Nicks, as he will be a free agent and after signing victor Cruz and drafting Rueben Randle, they have to see if he is in their future plans and it could cost quite a bit, making teams like the Oakland Raiders, Carolina Panthers or Philadelphia Eagles options for him to sigh with.
Nicks has not been having a season that he would like coming into a contract year, as he has zero touchdowns and has not been as productive as he was in recent years and that could be a precursor to him leaving the team as a free agent. Nicks has put up some great numbers in the past and was one of the main reasons why the Giants made it to the Super Bowl a couple years ago, but after an injury plagues 2012 and a down year in 2013, how much will he be worth to the Giants and will that be enough to sway him from signing with another team?
The Giants already paid big money to Victor Cruz this offseason and with Nicks looking for a big payday, that's a ton of cash to put into a position and into three players, adding Eli Manning and his contract to the mix. Nicks has 38 catches this season for 570 yards and he has yet to score a touchdown and that could be where the value and the money come into play, as he is normally a top option in the redzone, but for whatever reason, this season it has not materialized. The Eagles, Oakland Raiders and Panthers could have some money to spend and they all could use a wideout like Nicks in the mix, especially in Carolina, where they have been looking for a big wideout to go up next to Steve Smith for Cam Newton.
Nicks has played better over the past three wins for the Giants, putting together 26 targets in three games, but against the Vikings and the Eagles he had a number of drops and he also had a bad touchdown catch miss that yes was a bit overthrown, but he also is usually much better at making those. Nicks dealt with injuries last season and ended up with 52 catches on 100 targets for 692 yards, his lowest totals since his rookie season when he had 47 catches and 790 yards. The two seasons after that he was over 75 catches and 1,000 yards, including the Super Bowl season when he had 76 catches for 1,192 yards and seven touchdowns and he dropped to just three last season and now he currently has zero.
Adding to the mix is the play of Rueben Randle, who has emerged as a very solid option for the team and he has been explosive as well, scoring five times this season, including five times in the past five games. Randle has 26 catches for 423 yards this season and he is averaging over 16 yards per catch and that has been very good for Eli Manning and the Giants. Randle has been a solid option for the team and with him in the fold, it may make it easier for the team to let Nicks walk as a free agent.
