Nagy says he's proud of Akiem Hicks' professionalism over contract situation
Even as his agent pushes for a contract extension, Bears defensive tackle Akiem Hicks has showed up to the work every day.
For that, Bears head coach Matt Nagy is grateful.
Hicks' agent Drew Rosenhaus is pushing for an extension for his client, who is in the final year of the four-year, $48 million contract extension he signed in 2017.
"I grabbed [Hicks] the other day and I brought him over and said just how appreciative I am of the way he has handled this training camp," Nagy said Thursday. "He has practiced hard, he's being a great leader in the meetings. He's really been awesome."
Hicks hasn't, for the most part, been a distraction. He did leave one practice early for unexplained reasons, and showed up late to another. His early exit was on Aug. 17 and didn't appear to be injury related. General manager Ryan Pace said he didn't remember why Hicks left practice.
"That feels like six months ago to me, so I don't even remember," Pace said Wednesday.
Complicating the matter is the fact that Hicks hasn't spoken about his contract situation. In fact, he hasn't spoken publicly at all. Typically an outgoing member of the Bears' locker room, Hicks hasn't spoken with the media since January.
"Everybody is a little bit different," Nagy said Thursday, when asked about Hicks' silence. "I don't want to get into anybody's individual decisions."
Hicks has played for the Bears since 2016. He has been a key contributor throughout his tenure in Chicago, recording seven sacks or more in 2016, 2017 and 2018. It wouldn't be wrong to suggest that his season-ending elbow injury in 2019 was a big reason why the 2019 season ended so poorly.
Rosenhaus, his agent, was spotted at training camp at least twice during August.
According to Nagy, Hicks has been a great teammate during this stretch. The 31-year-old Hicks hasn't held out, which other players might do in such a situation. He's due $10.4 million this season, but is guaranteed nothing beyond 2021.
"I try to stay out of that, especially when we're in the season," Nagy said. "It's a distraction. And I'd tell Hicks the same thing, Ryan the same thing, let's not have distractions. Let's focus on today and what you can do to be great."
The apparent stalemate in the contract negotiations likely has nothing to do with Hicks' play either. The Bears already have upward of $160 million committed to player next season, according to OverTheCap.com. That's without top receiver Allen Robinson under contract (in fact, Darnell Mooney is currently the only receiver under contract in 2022). That's also without defensive tackle Bilal Nichols and guard James Daniels, who are due for extensions. Locking down inside linebacker Roquan Smith (who is due $9.7 million in 2022) to a long-term deal is going to be a priority.
Pace is going to have his hands full making all those contracts work within a salary cap that hasn't yet been announced, not to mention filling out the rest of the roster. Squeezing in $10 million for Hicks will be challenging.
From that perspective, it makes sense why the Bears would want to take their time.
"I don't want to speak for him," Pace said. "For me, Akiem has been in an unbelievable place. How he's been as a teammate, how he's been in our building, the shape he's in right now, the effort that he's playing with right now has been awesome, so I think he's going to have a really big year."