CBS Sports projects noted Viking killer to Minnesota in free agency

That would be quite the twist

With the salary cap issues that they’re currently looking at, you wouldn’t expect the Minnesota Vikings to be big players in free agency when things kick off in a couple of weeks. However, that hasn’t stopped one major outlet from projecting the purple to sign a player that has given them untold number of fits during his time playing with a division rival.

Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports has the Vikings signing defensive lineman Akiem Hicks away from the Chicago Bears this free agency season. It’s a shorter deal, with Benjamin predicting a one-year, $9 million pact between the two sides.

Now, anyone that’s watched the Vikings and the Bears play over the past four or five seasons knows that twice a year, Hicks becomes the best defensive player in the National Football League. Those two weeks come when the Vikings are lined up on the other side of the football, as he’s made life miserable for Vikings’ offensive linemen ever since the Bears brought him aboard in 2016.

Hicks dealt with some injury issues this past season, limiting him to just nine games. That would likely explain the one-year nature of the projected deal, as Hicks needs an opportunity to get himself healthy.

The Vikings already have a pair of high-priced bodies up front on the defensive line in Michael Pierce and Dalvin Tomlinson. However, if the team is going to try to make a switch to a 3-4 front on defense, having Hicks team with those two large gentlemen would make for a pretty formidable defensive line.

Do you think the Vikings actually have a chance at signing Akiem Hicks in free agency, ladies and gentlemen?