The Patriots added “Hercules” to their depth chart on Wednesday, agreeing to terms with Troy Niklas, a 6-foot-6, 270 pound tight end who earned that nickname in the Notre Dame weight room. Niklas signed a one-year deal with New England after four years in Arizona.
Bruce Arians, his head coach with the Cardinals, used a different moniker for the Niklas. After a few compliments from Arians were relayed to him in 2016, the tight end smiled and said it “awesome” to hear them because “he gets my name confused with ‘dumb mother******’ a lot.”
Most of the time, the language Arians used to describe Niklas was less colorful and more appreciative.