Akiem Hicks Stirs the Pot for Vikings Fans
Dustin Baker
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A few days ago, after the Minnesota Vikings added offensive guard Dalton Risner to the depth chart, VikingsTerritory polled the team’s fans about their wishes about the next free agent if Minnesota is interested in further bolstering the roster.
Akiem Hicks Stirs the Pot for Vikings Fans
But before the poll was completed, the Vikings conducted a pick-swap trade in 2026 for Los Angeles Rams running back Cam Akers.
This was the poll result, nevertheless:
Indeed, Vikings faithful have feverishly engaged on social media about Hicks as a possible free-agent relationship, as some believe he’s another missing piece to the purple defensive line.
Well, Hicks saw the pleas.
Out of nowhere, Hicks tweeted early Friday morning, “That Viking love has been nice all day, I appreciate the interest. Always had fun strappin it on against you. As a competitor you hope to receive the respect of your opponent. The respect of the fan base is a very nice bonus. skol.”
Here’s the full tweet with Hicks’ self-picked photo of him sacking former Vikings passer Sam Bradford:
On the whole, it’s probably unlikely for Hicks to join the Vikings — he has 31 other options — but the tweet, of course, was seized by Vikings fans as yet another “guy on the way” after several weeks of fans asking the organization to sign the aforementioned Risner.
If Risner was gettable, so is Hicks — is the mindset from fans, anyway.
Hicks was a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last year, his fourth NFL team, previously spending time with the New Orleans Saints, New England Patriots, and Bears. He’s banked 409 tackles, 115 QB hits, 75 tackles for loss, 41.5 sacks, and 6 forced fumbles in 11 NFL seasons. And as a free agent, Hicks is perhaps waiting to latch onto a contender for one or two final seasons. Whether the Vikings can shapeshift into a contender after the 0-2 start remains to be seen.
Too, if Hicks sounds or looks familiar, it’s for good reason. The defender routinely bullied Vikings quarterbacks and running backs during his Bears tenure from 2016 to 2021. Vikings fans are intimately familiar with Hicks’ game.
The one-time Pro Bowler fetched a 61.9 Pro Football Focus score last year with Tampa Bay, starting and playing 11 games. It’s fuzzy where Hicks would fit on the Vikings defensive line, but there would probably be a demotion for Jonathan Bullard or Dean Lowry.
Minnesota was backhandedly linked to Hicks in 2022 free agency, and Bleacher Report suggested Hicks’ services for the Vikings 11 days ago.
The Vikings have about $10 million in cap space as of September 21st, more than enough to sign Hicks.
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Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sal Spice. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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