Akiem Hicks Sounds So Grateful He Isn't On the Raiders

Akiem Hicks knows his career could've gone any number of ways. Never was that clearer than during the 2015-2016 calendar year. He started it on the New Orleans Saints roster, got into a heated dispute with head coach Sean Payton, was then traded to New England, became a free agent, and chose to sign with the Chicago Bears. Now he's a Pro Bowler on the best defense in the NFL and his team is positioned for a Super Bowl push.

Being a veteran, this has made him grateful for his good fortune. He knows he could easily have ended up on another roster. The one that seems to scare him the most is the Oakland Raiders. Like everybody else, the 29-year old has been keeping track of the circus going on down there. Most recently regarding wide receiver Antonio Brown. A man who is threatening to retire because the NFL won't let him wear his old helmet.

This after getting frostbite on his feet during a training accident in France.

Hicks told Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times that he can't imagine what it must be like in that locker room. Nor does he want to.

“It’s hard not to notice, right?” Bears defensive end Akiem Hicks said. “If you turn on SportsCenter, turn on ESPN, if you turn on anything, you’re going to see some type of Oakland Raiders debacle. Things are going on.

“I mean, that’s for them. I gotta say that from the guys that I know on this team, especially defensively, we’re not that.”

“It becomes a media circus,” Hicks said of the Raiders. “Me personally, I don’t like media circuses.”

Akiem Hicks realizes he chose right coming to Chicago

One of the most underrated parts of the Bears' rise to prominence has been their consistent focus on culture. They experienced a lot of what the Raiders went through back in 2014. One controversy after another. Some of them involving an older, self-centered wide receiver in Brandon Marshall. That's why when GM Ryan Pace took over, a primary goal was to clean up the locker room issues. That meant acquiring players who loved football and were known for their leadership.

It took time, but the results are hard to argue with. Chicago has one of the most boring locker rooms in the NFL. Everybody is on the same page and everybody is a worker. Hicks wouldn't have it any other way. He knows how hard it is to win in this league without distractions. The odds of the Raiders putting together a successful season with that mess going on feels remote. Not that the Bears mind. The worse Oakland plays this year, the better the 2nd round pick Chicago got from them in the Khalil Mack trade will be.