Hicks preferred Pace to Pats
Defensive lineman Akiem Hicks said yes to the Bears and no to the most powerful figure in the game.
Bill Belichick, the Patriots’ de facto general manager, made Hicks a contract offer Sunday night. On the phone, the future Hall of Fame coach tried to lure Hicks back by telling him how intrigued he was by Hicks’ upside, sources said.
“I would say that there was a great effort in order for us to work something out,” said Hicks, who interviewed at Halas Hall on Friday and never left Chicago. “But I found Chicago would be a better fit for me, as far as my future’s concerned.”
That means better money — the Bears signed him to a two- year, $ 10 million contract with $ 5.5 million guaranteed — and a chance to show what he can do.
Hicks, 26, fits a team that has added players GM Ryan Pace believes are on the upswing. Inside linebacker Danny Trevathan turns 26 on March 24, and offensive tackle Bobby Massie turns 27 on Aug. 1.
“Opportunity was the biggest thing that I wanted to have in the organization I chose to be with,” Hicks said. “I wanted to have the opportunity to play and play a lot and be a part of a team that has a legitimate chance to win.”
Hicks started 33 of his last 34 games with the Saints — Pace was part of the front office that drafted him in 2012 — before being traded Oct. 1. He described his departure as abrupt and unexpected after playing only in nickel packages in his final game with the Saints.
He took more than half of the Patriots’ defensive snaps only twice. Now, the 6- 5, 324- pounder will start in Vic Fangio’s defense.
“If anything, I’m pretty excited to see how I will fare in his defense,” he said. “He’s had a great track record of making successful defensive linemen and successful defenses as a whole.”
Trevathan and former Colts player Jerrell Freeman give Fangio perhaps the best inside linebacker tandem of any 3- 4 team.
“If you’ve got two great linebackers behind you, you should have a pretty good day on the defensive line,” Hicks said.
He trusts his old friend Pace to add more defensive pieces, too.
“They have been — and are still currently — making great decisions in order to bring players and the coaching staff and everybody to this organization to build something great here in Chicago,” Hicks said. “I’m a believer.
“I’ve seen some of the moves that they’ve made, and I’ve seen the way that they’ve gone about business. And I’m excited to be a part of that and was excited from afar.”