Akiem Hicks would like to finish his career in Chicago

The Chicago Bears have been approached about a contract extension for defensive lineman Akiem Hicks reports ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Hicks’ agent, Drew Rosenhaus, was at Halas Hall today and he told Schefter that, “Akiem wants to finish his career with the Bears, if possible.” Hicks, who will turn 32 in November, is in the final year of a 4-year contract that is paying him $12 million this season.

The Bears contemplated life without Hicks earlier this offseason as they gave him permission to seek a trade, but nothing ever materialized from that, and perhaps his desire to remain a Bear is the reason why. Chicago ended up releasing cornerback Kyle Fuller, so it’s possible that freed up enough cash to justify keeping Hicks.

In his five years in Chicago Hicks has been one of the team’s most popular and productive players, and he’s coming off a season that saw him rack up 49 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 21 quarterback hits, and 7 tackles for loss.

I would love to see Hicks return, but the Bears have a few other players on defense they may prioritize over him at this point in his career. Roquan Smith and Bilal Nichols are both in line for paydays after the 2021 season, with Smith getting a 5th year option bump in 2022 and Nichols being a free agent. There’s also the Allen Robinson situation that could be back in play next year.

Would you like to see Hicks come back, or do you think 2021 should be Hicks’ last hurrah?