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Teams in need of help at wide receiver are preparing to make bids for Hakeem Nicks, the New York Giants' star wide receiver who can be a free agent at the end of the season, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reported on Sunday.
Teams view Nicks as the best option available and with the Giants in a free-fall, big changes possibly on the way there, and Nicks a potential unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, other general managers want to hear for themselves just how amenable to a trade Giants GM Jerry Reese might be. Several GMs contacted believed the Giants could get at least a third-round pick for Nicks, even if he is just a late-season "rental" who then hits the open market in March.
La Canfora said the market for Nicks "would be robust" if the Giants decide they are willing to move him. La Canfora listed the San Francisco 49ers, Atlanta Falcons, Baltimore Ravens and New England Patriots as potential landing spots for the 25-year-old Nicks, who has two 1,000-yard receiving seasons in his first four full years in the league.
La Canfora also writes that Nicks "could end up being the highest-paid player in what looks to be a pedestrian free-agent class." Previous reports have indicated that Nicks is likely to seek $10-$12 million per year. With Eli Manning taking $20.4 million, Antrel Rolle $9.25 million and Victor Cruz $7.24 million already taking up a huge chunk of the salary cap the Giants will need to decide if paying Nicks is the best allocation of their resources.