The receiver managed to get to the team he wanted and with a juicy contract in the middle
The former receiver of the Detroit Lions Kenny Golladay reached an agreement with the New York Giants on Saturday for a four-year, $ 72 million contracts, said a source to Adam Schefter of ESPN.
The deal could be worth up to $ 76 million and includes 40 million guaranteed, the source said.
“It was like a no-brainer and I’m glad it worked,” Golladay told reporters Saturday night.
It didn’t happen without an interview first. The Giants had questions for Golladay about how he ended his tenure in Detroit (he had an unstable relationship with fired coach Matt Patricia) and the hip injury that forced him to miss the last nine games of the 2020 season. He eased his concerns during meetings that lasted all Friday, sources told ESPN.
Golladay remained in New York after the interview, while passing one last medical hurdle and negotiating the final details of the huge deal, sources said. He allowed him to sign in his favorite spot and gave it to the Giants, especially as quarterback Daniel Jones, The number one receiver they desperately needed.
“Only the pieces on the offensive,” Golladay said of what made the Giants so attractive. “These guys really came close to me and I liked the vision that coach Joe Judge had and [el coordinador ofensivo] Jason Garrett, on the offensive side, and I was completely inside. “
Jones was one of the players who trained as a recruiter. Jabrill peppers he also had dinner with Golladay on Friday night.
“[Jones] he approached, “Golladay said.” Just tell the good player he thought he was and I said the same about him.
“He also said, you know, ‘We’re trying to do something great here,’ and that’s what it’s about.”
Golladay emerged as the Lions ’top pick in the last three seasons, earning a spot in the Pro Bowl in 2019, when he amassed 1,190 yards and 11 touchdowns. He had hoped to improve this by 2020, but injuries to his hamstring and hip muscles limited him to five games and only 20 receptions for 338 yards and two touchdowns.
A third-round pick for the Northern Illinois Lions in 2017, Golladay, 27, played 47 games for Detroit, making 183 receptions for 3,068 yards and 21 touchdowns. His ability to make difficult catches on the field is something the Giants needed.
“This team will have a competitor, a guy who will come in, work, try to pressure other guys and have fun,” Golladay said. “I want to have fun while I do this, that’s why I’m doing it.”
Golladay reiterated in December that his preference would be to remain in Detroit. Of course, this was also before the exchange of Matthew Stafford a Los Angeles Rams and the hiring of new coach Dan Campbell and general manager Brad Holmes. However, Golladay said then that his decision could be influenced by the look of the offense, and whether Stafford was with Detroit.
“I was recruited here, so I just want to show my loyalty,” Golladay said at the time. “They believed in me. If a contract [con los Lions] … it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work, you know. Then I go somewhere else and I just play. “
ESPN’s Michael Rothstein contributed to this report.