Former Colts wide receiver Hakeem Nicks to sign with Giants

Earlier this morning, FOX Sports' Mike Garafolo reported that the New York Giants will sign former Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Hakeem Nicks, something that has since been confirmed by others.

It is a return to the Giants for Nicks, who spent five seasons with the team earlier in his career (2009-2013).  During his tenure in New York, Nicks played in 70 games (starting 59) and caught 311 passes for 4,622 yards and 27 scores, averaging 14.9 yards per catch.  In both 2010 and 2011 he posted 1,000+ yard receiving seasons and emerged as one of the top wideouts in football.  He won a Super Bowl with the Giants, but injuries started to catch up with him and he became much less effective.

In 2014, then, Nicks signed with the Indianapolis Colts to hopefully provide a spark to his career in playing with quarterback Andrew Luck, but despite the fact that Luck and the Colts' passing attack thrived in 2014, Nicks didn't.  He struggled early on, and as a result he began to see less and less playing time.  He just wasn't on the same page at all with Luck and it showed on the field.  Through the first 13 games of the season, Nicks caught just 24 passes for 243 yards and three touchdowns combined.  With Reggie Wayne injured and struggling, however, Nicks began to see more time, and late in the year he showed noticeable improvement.  In the final six games (including playoffs), Nicks caught 20 passes for 260 yards and two scores.  Overall, Nicks played in all 19 games for the Colts and caught 44 passes for 503 yards and five touchdowns - solid production, but nothing spectacular.

After not re-signing with the Colts, Nicks waited a little while before signing with the Tennessee Titans.  There, he blamed Pep Hamilton's offensive system as the reason he didn't succeed in Indianapolis, but he must not have fit in the Titans' system either, as they released him.  He went much of the season without being signed, but it sounds like the Giants are giving him another shot now after it was announced yesterday that Victor Cruz will not return this season.

Hopefully, Nicks can get it going with his old team and with Eli Manning at quarterback once again, and if he produces like he did toward the end of last season for the Colts, it will be a nice pickup.  But if he produces like he did for much of the first 13 games, then he might really be running out of chances to stick around with a team.