Getty Kenny Golladay makes a catch against the Falcons.
The Detroit Lions have a player who is quite literally helping to carry their offense in Kenny Golladay, and the good news is he’s just about as humble of a superstar as could be.
Golladay, in the mold of others that have passed through Detroit and became legendary like Calvin Johnson and Barry Sanders, is quiet and unassuming. Like those other players, he is also very aware of what the team means to him and his place on the roster both now and moving forward into the future.
Speaking with Justin Rose of WXYZ-TV in an interview, Golladay was asked about the ongoing contract stalemate which has attracted plenty of media attention in recent months. Golladay gave perhaps his best answer yet on the matter, and one that should make Lions fans feel pretty good about things moving forward.
Here’s more from that interview with Kenny Golladay and Barry Sanders with more contract talk with the both of them.
“Where do I send my check?” – @BarrySanders said about helping keep Golladay in Detroit. #OnePride
Golladay responded:
“Detroit definitely took a chance, drafted me in the 3rd round and I appreciate that. I’m a loyal person. I wouldn’t mind being here the rest of my career. Like I say, I couldn’t be more grateful for what the organization did for me and my family.”
Whereas the Lions haven’t yet gotten a deal done, it’s also great news to hear that Golladay isn’t disgruntled or looking for a way out, either. Plenty of others in similar situations might be looking at negotiations that way, but Golladay shows he understands how the Lions have met him halfway already by setting him up to succeed so far. The only hope is that they can now match that within negotiations.
Why Lions Should Re-Sign Kenny Golladay
Golladay is just 26 years old, so it’s easy to see him sticking around for at least the next 5-7 years in the Motor City on a new deal and putting up excellent statistics. No matter what happens at quarterback in the future, the Lions are in good hands at receiver with Golladay. If the Lions can get things figured out, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Golladay cracking the Pro Bowl, All-Pro teams and also having a bit more playoff success than Johnson ever did in Detroit. The big hope, naturally, is he can lead the Lions to playoff wins and an elusive Super Bowl title.
Week in and week out, Golladay still has a knack for delivering some of the best plays on the field at any given moment. When combined with his humble approach and outlook, it would be a crime to let him leave town without giving him his proper compensation that he’s earned with the team.
Kenny Golladay Cryptic Instagram Message
In spite of these good feelings, Golladay still seemed to have taken notice of Detroit’s inability to get a deal done in recent weeks. Following a commanding Detroit win in Jacksonville in which Golladay was once again one of the elite players on the field with 105 receiving yards, the wideout spoke up a bit on Instagram and let folks know exactly where he stands.
As he appeared to say in the post, it will now cost the Lions a bit more money to get a deal done.
There are probably other ways to interpret this, but comments from current and former teammates on the post suggest they’re reading it like I’m reading it.
So it goes. Price tags don’t typically go down in these situations.
Obviously, as is pointed out, there are plenty of ways to construe Instagram posts, but the implication here seems to be that waiting to get a deal done is going to cost the Lions in the future. Perhaps Gollday is frustrated that a deal hasn’t gotten done, or perhaps he is upset the sides have exchanged numbers behind the scenes and the Lions haven’t been strong enough from his point of view just yet.
Even if Golladay does want to stay with the Lions long term, it’s more than possible that the cost will remain prohibitive to do so if this post is right.
Despite that, there is no reason for the Lions not to keep Golladay especially considering his mindset and loyalty to the team.