Getty Former New York Giants wide receiver Kenny Golladay was deemed one of the worst signings of the past 10 years.
The New York Giants have not had much success over the past 10 seasons. In fact, spanning back to 2013, Big Blue has only finished with a winning record twice — 2016 and 2022.
They made the playoffs both years but have been unable to break through otherwise.
Needless to say, a large part of that has been due to poor decision making in free agency and the draft. Focusing on the former, Bleacher Report’s Matt Holder re-graded the 10 biggest offseason signings of the past decade on June 3. To no surprise, the Kenny Golladay move made the list.
“Compared to the other players included on this list, Kenny Golladay is by far the least recognizable name,” Holder wrote. “However, at one point, he was widely considered one of the NFL’s up-and-coming wide receivers.”
The analyst acknowledged that Golladay was “coveted” around the league in 2021, which led to the Giants offering him a four-year, $72 million ($28 million guaranteed) contract that spring. “At the time, that was tied with Tyreek Hill and Odell Beckham Jr. for the sixth-richest contract at the position on a dollar-per-year basis,” Holder explained.
It goes without saying that the deal went belly up for Golladay and the G-Men.
“His first season with the Giants was a bust, hauling in just 37 passes for 521 yards while being kept out of the end zone in 14 games,” Holder recapped later. “The following year was even worse with just six grabs and 81 yards after getting benched with just four starts in 12 contests.”
Eventually, he settled on an “F” grade for this move. That mark was tied with the New York Jets’ 2019 signing of running back Le’Veon Bell for the honor of worst free agency acquisition of the last decade.
Can Malik Nabers Give Daniel Jones & Giants What Kenny Golladay Could Not?
Golladay was brought in to become quarterback Daniel Jones’ star WR1. Unfortunately, that signing crashed and burned as Holder noted, and Jones has had difficulty finding his way without a bonified No. 1 target.
In 2024, the former first-round QB might finally have that luxury after the organization drafted LSU star Malik Nabers sixth overall. Early returns from Organized Team Activities (OTAs) have been positive.
“He’s just got a rare competitiveness and edge to him,” Giants assistant general manager Brandon Brown told reporters on May 30. “Something that I haven’t been around.”
“He’s got moxie, dog, the cool kids call it ‘aura.’ He wants to be at his best, vs. the best, on the biggest platform, and he’s going to let you know about it.”
Brandon Brown with a lengthy answer on what makes Malik Nabers special:
“I kind of say he’s got moxie, dog — the cool kids call it aura,” the front office executive went on. “He wants to be at his best, versus the best, on the biggest platform, and he’s going to let you know about it.”
Brown eventually concluded that for Nabers as a player, “the ceiling is what he makes of it.”
Giants Finally Have Kenny Golladay Off the Books in 2024
The Giants elected to take on a dead cap charge of $14.7 million in 2023 when they finally parted ways with Golladay. The decision handicapped Schoen’s ability to spend last offseason, but at least it cleared him off the books in 2024.
According to Over the Cap, the Giants’ current dead cap leader is former defensive lineman Leonard Williams ($10.636 million), following by cornerback Adoree’ Jackson ($2.988 million) and defensive lineman A’Shawn Robinson ($2.1 million).
All told, Schoen has lowered the organization’s total dead cap to just under $19.043 million this year. An accomplishment considering the disastrous mistakes of the previous regime.