Akiem Hicks, by all accounts, is a good man, a great teammate, and a leader. He doesn’t have a vindictive bone in his body. His charity work is substantial. Yet it’s clear there is an ultra-competitive side to him that shows up on Sunday. This may explain why the Chicago Bears Pro Bowler seems to be holding a strong grudge even to this day.
For those who might not be up to speed, Hicks was a 3rd round pick of the New Orleans Saints in 2012. Their first pick overall of that draft. Hopes were high that he could turn into a strong presence for their defensive line. After a quiet rookie year, he had 4.5 sacks in 2013 as part of a strong front seven.
Things changed though in 2014. Defensive coordinator Rob Ryan was fired midseason and replaced by Dennis Allen. This caused a shift from a 3-4 alignment to a 4-3. Suddenly the team didn’t see much value in Hicks. Three games into 2015, he was traded to the New England Patriots for tight end Michael Hoomanawanui.
Hicks rebounded with a strong performance down the stretch and turned that into a new contract as a free agent with the Bears. Yet it’s apparent he hasn’t forgotten that humiliating exit from New Orleans.
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Akiem Hicks was overjoyed the Saints got screwed out of NFC title
During the week leading up to the Pro Bowl, most of the talk around the NFL wasn’t the Rams-Patriots Super Bowl matchup. It was how controversially the NFC championship game had ended. Anybody who doesn’t know, the jist is this. A Rams cornerback clearly hit a Saints receiver both before the ball arrived and up around the head. That should’ve been two penalties called on one play.
The referees called neither. Many believe it cost New Orleans a chance to go to the Super Bowl because it preserved enough time for Los Angeles to rally and force overtime. A lot of people were outraged by the no-call. Chris Perkins of The Athletic wanted to get player perspectives on it. Some were sympathetic to the Saints cause.
Hicks was not one of them.
Bears defensive lineman Akiem Hicks didn’t really express a feeling one way or the other on the league getting involved in controversial plays. Hicks was just happy New Orleans was on the losing end.
“I have no love for the Saints,” he said. “I think that was a great call. I’m glad they lost.”
He seemed serious.
Hicks was asked whether his disdain for New Orleans stems from an incident in a game.
“No, I just don’t like the Saints,” he said. “Just don’t. Just a heart feeling.”
Doesn’t get much clearer than that. It’s apparent that Hicks still harbors deep feelings of betrayal by the Saints. In his eyes they quit on him, casting him off for a backup tight end. Ever since then he’s played with a massive chip on his shoulder. Since joining the Bears he has 23 sacks and made his first Pro Bowl. The only goal left to achieve in his eyes would be bringing a championship to Chicago, hopefully at the Saints’ expense.
