Getty Kenny Golladay #19 of the Detroit Lions makes a catch in the first quarter of the game in front of Kevin King #20 of the Green Bay Packers.
Counting the legal tampering period, we are now six days into NFL free agency. Yet, arguably the top wide receiver on the market remains unsigned. That’s not to say Kenny Golladay hasn’t garnered his fair share of attention, as he’s reportedly been in touch with numerous teams and received at least one contract offer. However, he’s yet to sign on the dotted line.
Golladay spent Thursday evening and all of Friday meeting with the New York Giants in East Rutherford. During his visit, ESPN’s Josina Anderson tweeted that contract talks between the two parties were “heating up.” Yet, the big-bodied pass catcher would go on to leave the team facilities on Friday night without a deal.
With that said, Giants fans apparently have nothing to fear — that is if you take Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Darius Slay for his word.
“Kenny is a dog, man,” Slay stated on Thursday’s airing of the Pat McAfee Show. “He should come over here to Philly — But he going to New York man. He know what time it is. We going to go after it now. It’s going to be a battle.”
Slay, is one hell of a cornerback. However, we’re not quite sure about his NFL insider chops. Although, the former All-Pro defensive back did spend three seasons as Golladay’s teammate in Detroit prior to being dealt to Philadelphia in 2020. So maybe there is a chance he’s got some intel that has yet to be shared with the rest of the world — Giants fans can only hope.
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Giants Reportedly Had Concerns About Golladay’s Character
Despite leaving the Giants’ facilities without a contract on Friday, the team still appears to be the most likely landing spot for Golladay, who remained overnight in New Jersey.
Part of the 27-year-old’s visit reportedly included going under a medical examination at the Hospital for Special Surgery. This was believed to be a major part reason for the in-person visit, as Golladay is coming off a season where he was limited to just five games due to numerous lower-body injuries. However, according to SNY’s Ralph Vacchiano, an extensive probe of Golladay’s character was just as important.
Those face-to-face meetings were considered to be as important as his physical exam, because as interested as the Giants were, they had big questions about his character, according to a source. There were issues during his final weeks with the Detroit Lions, and Judge in particular wanted to make sure the 27-year-old would be a good fit in the “culture” he’s trying to build.
Whatever concerns they had, though, were apparently eased during the time they spent with Golladay. And that cleared the way for serious negotiations to begin. Those talks are expected to continue at least until Saturday, especially while Golladay remains in town.
Golladay’s Reported Contract Demands Revealed
With Golladay’s health and character concerns seemingly in the rearview, the next thing on the mend is the wideout’s potential contract — more specifically, the numbers. It is believed that Golladay is in search of a deal that will pay him $18.5 million annually, per Vacchiano.
A deal of that magnitude would likely entail New York to free up even more cap space than they already have this offseason. The deal would also greatly surpass any other contract inked by a wideout so far. As of now, Corey Davis’ $37.5 million contract is the grandest a wide receiver has received in free agency, which has a per year salary of $12.5 million.
Other potentially interested teams for Golladay include the Chicago Bears, Cincinnati Bengals, and Baltimore Ravens. The wide receiver visited the Bears prior to his arrival in New Jersey. He also reportedly received a contract offer from the Bengals, per ESPN’s Dianna Russini. As for the Ravens, word broke on Friday that the team had reached out to Golladay in hopes of bringing him in for a visit, but Vacchiano has since noted reporters that dispute that.
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