Did Akiem Hicks throw shade at the Chicago Bears?
Well, it did not take long for Akiem Hicks to bring up the Chicago Bears in a press conference. The outcome had Bears fans split in their reactions. Some felt disrespected by the comment, but was it really out of place? Alright, I’m getting ahead of myself here. Let’s take a look at what was actually said before we start dissecting the intention behind the comment.
If you missed it, Akiem Hicks signed a one-year deal worth up to $10 million dollars with the Tampa Bay Buccanneers. Many fans, including myself, were excited for Hicks. Whenever a player of his magnitude signs with an actual contender, you cannot help but root for him to win a Super Bowl over any team but the Chicago Bears.
Now, this only holds true if the player is viewed in a positive light. Not many fans are happy with how Allen Robinson’s career with the Bears came to an end for example. Some fans are still rooting for Robinson to succeed, but many others are hoping he fails miserably. I feel that is not the case with Akiem Hicks though.
Akiem Hicks talks about the Chicago Bears quarterback situation
In a press conference this week, Akiem Hicks told reporters that he has been spoiled to an extent by the quarterbacks he has played with in his career. That is, everywhere he has played outside of Chicago.
Akiem Hicks: “When I came into the league, I had Drew Brees and Tom Brady as my first two quarterbacks. And then I went to Chicago. It wasn’t Drew Brees and Tom Brady. I feel spoiled to have somebody on the other side or that bank that can deliver all the time…” pic.twitter.com/0dJaWxrGDx
— Rick Stroud (@NFLSTROUD) June 7, 2022
Hicks was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in 2012. He spent three full years playing on the opposite side of the ball as the Saints’ quarterback, Drew Brees. Brees is likely to make it into the Hall of Fame one day. He is easily one of the better quarterbacks the NFL has seen in the last 20 years and any player should feel spoiled playing with him.
Hicks also spent nearly a full season with the New England Patriots in 2015. I do find it a little odd using those 13 games as a reference, but his quarterback at the time was Tom Brady and well, his quarterback is once again Tom Brady. We can get into the G.O.A.T. talk surrounding Brady at a different time if you want, but clearly, Brady is better than what Hicks saw in Chicago over the last six seasons.
Ouch. That one hurt a little. Actually, that was not much of an insult. Hicks is just speaking facts. No matter how you feel about Mitch Trubisky, Andy Dalton, Nick Foles, or Justin FIelds, comparing any of them at this point to Tom Brady or Drew Brees only makes sense if you are explaining how poorly they played while quarterbacking the Chicago Bears.
I am a huge proponent of Justin Fields and anyone who has read my content knows how much I loved Mitch Trubisky too. That said, it would be dumb on my part to try and convince anyone that what Hicks said was not true. Even at 40+ years of age, Brady is better than what we saw from any of those Bears quarterbacks.
The hope now though is that Justin Fields develops into the quarterback I envision and makes this comment look silly in a few years. Was it shade though? Possibly a little bit. Should Bears fans be upset by the comments? No, not at all.