Elijah Hicks walked into the TV studio at Halas Hall earlier this month carrying his ninth-month-old son, Elliott, alongside his wife, Jordyn. The family had flown in from their offseason home in Arizona less than 24 hours after Hicks agreed to re-sign with the team that drafted him nearly four years ago.
A graphic featuring Hicks beamed from the back of the studio, serving as the backdrop for the safety and key special teams contributor to pose for a ceremonial signing photo that would later appear on social media, thus making the move official.
Hicks pointed the picture of "dad" out to Elliott and danced around as his son giggled — a picture-perfect moment that he made sure to soak in, yet compelled him to reflect.
"It just makes me think about when I got drafted here," Hicks said, "and growing as a man these past four years. I got engaged, got married, had a baby all through my years here. I'm not from Chicago, but it's definitely a place where I grew up, where my family is growing.
"So it's real special and humbling, and it will always be a special place no matter where I end up in the future, but hopefully it's just in Chicago for many more years."
Coming off the Bears' illustrious 2025 season, where the team posted an 11-6 regular season record, won the NFC North and won a playoff game for the first time since 2011, Hicks' future in Chicago was uncertain – his rookie contract would expire in March at the beginning of the new league year.
Hicks and his family packed up their home in Illinois and headed back to Arizona after the Bears' season-ending loss to the Rams in the Divisional Round, but soon after, he began posting "2025 Archives" videos on his TikTok page, reminiscing on the special memories of his fourth NFL season. Having experienced the highs of a successful NFL season, Hicks knew that if given the opportunity, he would want to continue chasing the ultimate goal in Chicago.
"Being here for four years, we've had those seasons where it was like, 'Dang, what is it? How do we turn this around?'" Hicks said. "So to have a season like last year where you got a taste of winning and winning a playoff game, it just makes you hungry for more. It's like, 'Okay, I was here to help build this thing up. I want to be able to see it through. I want to be able to get to that Super Bowl here.'
"I went to the Super Bowl this year. One of my best friends played in it for the Patriots, (safety) Jaylinn Hawkins. So watching him out there playing on that field was like, 'There's nothing I want more than that.' And it would be very special to do it here, the place that believed in me."
In his four NFL seasons, Hicks has appeared in 61 games with 15 starts, recording three fumble recoveries and one forced fumble. While he rotated in at safety during the 2023 and 2024 seasons, he was primarily utilized on special teams last year, playing 68% of the Bears' snaps, registering a career-high 12 special teams stops as well as two special teams tackles and a forced fumble in the playoffs.
Many Bears fans' first introduction to Hicks came shortly after he was selected in the seventh round of the 2022 NFL Draft. Asked to send a quick introductory video to the club's social media team, Hicks took it a step further and expressed his excitement about being drafted by dropping to the ground and doing several clapping push-ups.
Hicks still possesses that excitement four years later. That level of passion and appreciation for not only being an NFL player, but being a Chicago Bear, was a big factor in his choosing to remain in Chicago.
"It's hard to get drafted initially, let alone stay in this league," Hicks said. "So I'm super thankful for that. And I never really got caught up in, 'Oh, I'm a seventh-round pick.' That's the reality of it, but like, I broke my foot in the pre-draft process. I didn't do a combine. I didn't run a 40. I never looked at myself as a seventh-rounder. I always had that confidence of, I'm one of the best ones when I touch that field. And that's just my mindset."
Hicks' consistent work ethic and coachability have also factored into him earning a roster spot year after year. A Long Beach, Calif., native, Hicks said he "didn't come from much growing up," so his main initial motivation as a football player was to create a better life for himself and his family.
But once he reached the collegiate level at the University of California, his mindset shifted. He realized success wasn't just about working hard; it was also about perfecting his craft and having goals beyond "making it."
"Once you get money and once you get two, three contracts, after a while, if your only motivation was getting out of the hood or providing for your family, then what?" Hicks said. "I was able to have that mindset shift in college where I was like, 'Okay, let me really lock in on my techniques of playing my positions and my roles.' Once my mindset shifted to that, it was moreso like, 'I don't mind going out there and getting extra work in and doing more,' because I see it as me just trying to improve."
That mindset is what attracted the Bears, especially special teams coordinator Richard Hightower, to Hicks back in 2022.
Having been together for four seasons now, Hightower and Hicks have formed a close bond, with Hicks even saying the pair are "wired the same way." That relationship is why Hightower joined Hicks and his family in the TV studio to help commemorate the moment and pose for a signing photo alongside the veteran safety.
While waiting to congratulate Hicks, Hightower overheard Hicks speaking about the impact his coach has had on him.
"I love how he holds me accountable, everybody in that room accountable," Hicks said. "You know it's love no matter what. And at the end of the day, you see his work ethic. You see how much he's trying to put into the game plan to help us prepare and be ready."
Hearing that sentiment from Hicks reminded Hightower exactly why he coaches.
"Elijah is everything that a Bear embodies in terms of a good person, work ethic and passion," Hightower said. "And then he was willing to learn all of the techniques that we were teaching them. He's been an impact player for us and done a really good job. So to hear him say what he said, and to see the work pay off for him, is really rewarding.
"I like the fact that he doesn't mind that we hold him accountable. That's my favorite thing. I think accountability is the best thing that you could provide for them. I believed in him from Day 1, and he's held his end of the bargain."
For Hightower, a husband and father of three, witnessing Hicks enjoying the moment with his wife and son was just as rewarding as the contract signing itself. Even though Hicks is relatively new to fatherhood, he still understands the significance of his child seeing him accomplish a goal of such a high magnitude.
Fatherhood hasn't necessarily changed how Hicks goes about his work, but it has created a greater intensity and level of seriousness in his daily routine. Family has always been a motivator for Hicks, and that motivation had already been taken to another level when he met Jordyn, a former Cal soccer player and daughter of former San Antonio Spurs All-Star and NBA champion Sean Elliott.
Being part of a family full of accomplished athletes, Hicks hopes this is just the first of many milestones his son sees him reach.
"I feel like I'm already someone who, like I said, is locked in, but it's just a greater sense of urgency," Hicks said. "I wouldn't say I necessarily work harder or do more. I mean, I feel like that's already me. But I just want to be able to make him and my family proud. I really want him to have somebody he looks up to.
"And then my wife, her dad is Sean Elliott. He's won an NBA championship, so now I need to win a championship. I need to win the Super Bowl so I can tell my son, 'Your grandpa and your dad won at the highest level.' So it's inspiring to me too, to be able to continue to get better."
