Report: Vikings sign former Jordan Hicks after making him a 'priority'

Linebacker Jordan Hicks, who just finished up his third season with the Arizona Cardinals, is on the move in free agency — his next stop: the Minnesota Vikings.

Hicks, 29, is a veteran linebacker with plenty of playoff experience that appeared to pique the Vikings’ interest, according to a repot from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, who said that the Vikings have signed Hicks to a new two-year contract. The deal, if paid in full, is worth up to $12 million, according to Rapoport’s tweet.

“This was a priority for Minnesota, an on-field leader and productivity who handled himself with class in AZ,” Rapoport wrote.

A 6-foot-1, 236-pound linebacker, the Vikings made Hicks a “priority” when he became a free agent. He’s entering his seventh NFL season, the first four spent with the Philadelphia Eagles and the last three spent with the Arizona Cardinals. Hicks’ most productive season, at least statistically, came in 2019 — his first year with the Cardinals — when he amassed 150 total tackles (93 solo stops), forced two fumbles and recovered one, notched three interceptions, 11 tackles for a loss, 1.5 sacks and seven quarterback hits. In seven NFL seasons, Hicks has appeared in 92 games, starting 89 of them, and has amassed 638 total tackles (427 solo stops), 41 tackles for loss, 10.5 sacks, 11 interceptions, four forced fumbles and nine fumble recoveries.

Hicks battled his fair share of injuries across his first four NFL seasons with the Eagles, and he only played more than 12 games once in Philadelphia (2016, 16 games). However, not only did Hicks help the Eagles win a Super Bowl, but he seems to have gotten better with age — in each of the past three seasons, he’s amassed over 115 total tackles, playing in 16, 16 and 17 games with the Cardinals.

A native of West Chester, Ohio, Hicks in 2010 committed to Texas as a five-star recruit, according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He was ranked as the No. 2 linebacker in the 2010 recruiting class, as well as the No. 5 overall prospect in the country.