Much to the pleasure of Big Blue faithful — and likely to the disgust of Tiki Barber — former Pro Bowl wide receiver Kenny Golladay has finally decided he will be taking his talents to East Rutherford for the long haul.
After an extended, drawn-out process that left many New York Giants fans impatiently waiting on pins and needles, the wideout reached a contract agreement with the team on Saturday. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Golladay receives a four-year deal worth $72 million ($76 million max based on incentives) with $40 million guaranteed at an annual average salary of $18 million.
While those numbers may seem a tad pricey in a free agency class that has otherwise seen teams shy away from spending big bucks at the wideout position, the Giants weren’t alone in their pursuit of Golladay. Rapoport notes that the Chicago Bears went “all-in” in hopes of landing the 27-year-old and were even willing to push money into future years to find space.
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Daniel Jones Recruited Golladay to New York
So, with other plausible suitors available, what made Golladay ultimately choose New York? Well, by the sound of it, a conversation with his new quarterback may have been what ultimately turned the tables in the Giants’ favor.
“[Daniel Jones] reached out and just said how good of a player that he thought I was,” Golladay told reporters on Saturday evening. “I pretty much said the same thing about him. He also just said ‘we’re trying to do something great here,’ and that’s what I’m all about.”
As far as what he thinks of his new quarterback, here’s what Golladay had to say:
“[Jones] is still kind of fresh in the league, a little bit,” Golladay stated. “I kinda wanna grow with him. I’m still growing as a player, and I feel like me and him can do some good things. We haven’t gotten on the practice field yet, but, me and him both are very excited.”
Golladay ‘All The Way In’
Golladay revealed that Jones wasn’t the only offensive player on the Giants to reach out to him during the process. The former NFL receiving touchdowns leader noted that those conversations, as well as the vision of coaching staff, were driving forces in him being “all the way in.”
“The pieces on the offense. Those guys actually reached out to me, Golladay said when asked why he chose the Giants. Hearing the vision that coach Joe Judge has and that Jason Garrett has as far as the offense. That had me right there. When we were in the building, everyone was greeting me, telling me they wanted me here, and by then it was kind of a no-brainer. I’m glad it worked out.”
Golladay was limited to just five games in 2020 due to hip and hamstring injuries. However, he recorded back-to-back 1,000-plus yard receiving seasons over the two years prior and is just one season removed from leading the entire league with 11 receiving touchdowns. For comparison, no Giants player has surpassed 751 receiving yards, nor eight touchdowns in a season since Odell Beckham’s departure in 2019. Sterling Shepard and Darius Slayton tied for the team lead in touchdown receptions this past season, hauling in three apiece.
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Kenny Golladay ‘Was All The Way In’ After This Daniel Jones Conversation