Giants Add ‘Playmaker’ Golladay to Wide Receiver Corps

Sun, Mar 21, 2021
By Jim Vassallo (Veri.bet Writer)

The New York Giants have reportedly reached an agreement with former Detroit Lions wide receiver Kenny Golladay. The deal is worth $72 million over four years, has $40 million guaranteed, and can go as high as $76 million overall.

Golladay told reporters Saturday night that the deal was a ‘no-brainer’ and that he was glad it worked out.

Golladay visited the New York Giants all day Friday to alleviate some of the concerns the organization had about how his tenure in Detroit ended. Golladay had a strained relationship with now-fired head coach Matt Patricia and he missed the final nine games of the season due to a hip injury.

Golladay remained in the vicinity Saturday to clear a medical hurdle and negotiate the terms of the contract with the Giants.

"Just the pieces on offense," Golladay said of what made the Giants so attractive. "Those guys actually kind of reached out to me and I liked the vision that coach Joe Judge had and [offensive coordinator] Jason Garrett, as far as the offense, and I was all the way in."

Quarterback Daniel Jones and safety Jabrill Peppers helped recruit Golladay. The trio had dinner together Friday night.

"[Jones] reached out," Golladay said. "He just said how good of a player that he thought I was and I pretty much said the same thing about him. He also just said, you know, 'We're trying to do something great here,' and that's what I'm all about."

Jones told reporters that Golladay had heard about the culture New York was building in the locker room and that he wanted to be part of it.

"I think he had heard it from coaches but wanted to hear how we saw it as players and how much we believed in it. I think finding the right fit in that sense was important to him. I can't wait to get out on the field and get to work with him."

Golladay was the top receiver for the Lions over the past three years. He went to the Pro Bowl in 2019 after he recorded 1,190 yards and 11 touchdowns. Playing in just five games during the 2020 season, Golladay had 20 catches for 338 yards and two touchdowns.

Golladay was selected by the Lions in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft. He played in 47 games during his stint in Detroit, catching 183 passes for 3,068 yards, and 21 touchdowns.

"This team is going to get a competitor, a guy who's going to come in, work, he's going to try to push other guys and have fun with it," Golladay said. "I want to have fun while I'm doing this; that's what I'm doing it for. Just a playmaker."

Prior to the Lions trading quarterback Matthew Stafford to the Los Angeles Rams, Golladay had expressed his desire to remain in Detroit.

"They drafted me here, so I just want to show my loyalty," Golladay said in December. "They believed in me. If a contract [with the Lions] ... doesn't work out, it doesn't work out, you know. Then I go somewhere else and just ball out and play."

Giving Jones a number-one receiver in New York increases the Giants’ chances of competing for the NFC East title in 2021.