"Brady just bringing in all his former teammates" - NFL fans react to Buccaneers roping in Bears' Akiem Hicks

Akiem Hicks' unconventional NFL journey has brought him to his fourth team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, in his decade-long career at the highest level of professional football.

Coming from Regina University in Canada, Hicks had to overcome questions about the level of competition he's faced. But he has outlasted many of his Power Five draft classmates in the league as a third-round pick.

The six-foot-four, 335-lb defensive end has spent the last five years of his career with the Chicago Bears, but he is now returning to the NFC South—where he once played on the New Orleans Saints—to play with Tom Brady and the Buccaneers. His contract is for one year at $10 million.

Some fans couldn't help but make the Brady connection after hearing the news of the signing:

Others couldn't help but accuse Hicks of ring-chasing:

Many took this news as the end of Ndamukong Suh's time in Tampa:

Buccaneers signing Akiem Hicks may mean Ndamukong Suh won't return

The Buccaneers just used up most of their cap space to bring in the long-time Bears veteran. That may mean Ndamukong Suh is unlikely to return, given the positional overlap.

Here's what Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio said about the 'hello, goodbye' situation Tampa Bay is facing:

"For the Bucs, 'Hello, Hicks' likely means, 'See ya, Suh.' The Buccaneers have agreed to terms on a one-year contract with veteran defensive tackle Akiem Hicks, according to his agent, Drew Rosenhaus. The contract is worth 'up to' $10 million. The development likely means that Ndamukong Suh won’t be back for a fourth season with the Bucs."

Brad Stainbrook of 247Sports reported that the Buccaneers and the Las Vegas Raiders were the remaining options for Suh, who remains an unrestricted free agent at 35 years of age:

"Bucs and Raiders are still in on DT Ndamukong Suh. Talks are ongoing with Las Vegas, while Tampa Bay will let all the options die down first. Browns have backed off."

The signing of Akiem Hicks could also mean that Tom Brady's long-time friend Rob Gronkowski could stay retired this offseason. 'Gronk' had mentioned that he would be interested in returning only if it meant remaining teammates with Brady, but there's little money left to dole out to the tight end even if he did want to come back to Tampa Bay in 2022.

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