Getty Matt Patricia looks on in Denver.
The Detroit Lions have had a potential problem arise with wideout Kenny Golladay, but head coach Matt Patricia has a dispute for the drama.
Speaking on Monday, Patricia was asked about the situation with Golladay as he knew it. As he said, he didn’t have any problems with Golladay on Saturday, as a report had stated the team did.
Here’s Matt Patricia’s full response to questions about Kenny Golladay’s whereabouts Saturday. FWIW, I was as told something similar to what Jason heard, non-specific about how extensive the absence was but that the Lions did have to track him down at one point.
Even such, it’s interesting to note that Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press heard similar information to the report albeit on a different level. Other beat writers have denied the report through their sources. Knowing this, it’s possible that the team had something happen with Golladay, the nature of which is still up for debate and might be completely unknown.
It seems as if there are a few different stories here, but Patricia and the Lions are standing by the fact that nothing has gone on.
Lions Reportedly Had Saturday Dustup With Kenny Golladay
In recent weeks and months, Golladay still hasn’t gotten a new contract much to disappointment on plenty of sides, and there could be issues within the organization between the parties complicating matters.
According to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports in a recent report, Golladay and the Lions have been in a tense relationship over the deal not getting done. Here’s what he wrote:
“Kenny Golladay left Sunday’s game early with a hip injury, but things have been tense between him and the organization for quite some time; he’s been brooding over not getting a new deal, and that came to a head on Saturday when I’m told he was not at the facility when he should have been.
Marvin Jones has been the center of trade talks, but Golladay would fetch much more if this is going to be an ongoing problem. The Lions have added some salary in season, but you have to wonder if they are still in buy mode and what ownership might be mulling from a payroll standpoint.”
After the report surfaced, Lions beat writer Justin Rogers from the Detroit News contradicted the La Canfora report with one of his own. Several other Lions writers have come out with similar reports.
For what it’s worth, I’ve been told Kenny Golladay was with the team on Saturday and there’s no issues with the receiver.
The Lions were beaten by a better team this past week, but their schedule lightens up again coming up with the Vikings, Washington, Carolina and Texans on the schedule. The combined record of those teams? An ugly 8-21, meaning the Lions probably aren’t going away out of the playoff picture barring another major collapse in the coming weeks. Golladay could help them on this front once he gets healthy and returns. If he’s become a distraction as La Canfora suggests, though, all bets are off regarding what could happen moving forward.
This report would seem to also contradict the more humble approach Golladay took when talking about the situation last week.
Kenny Golladay’s Future
Regardless of what played out over the weekend, there is no disputing the importance of Golladay to the Lions. The team needs him for their offense in a big way and should be doing everything they can to keep him around for the future and keep him happy. Obviously, that doesn’t excuse Golladay not doing work he is supposed to if that played out, but the team needs to find a way to make sure their top players are happy.
Golladay is expected to be shelved with injury the next few weeks, so it will be fascinating to see where this story goes in the coming weeks.
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