Kenny Golladay’s watch continued on Friday as the Giants’ fan base anxiously waited to hear if the big-play wide receiver would come to their squad. And, more precisely, wait to see if, after meeting Golladay, the Giants were ready to sign to bring him on board.
Golladay arrived at the Giants’ facility Thursday afternoon for a visit including dinner. That visit lasted until Friday night, when Golladay met head coach Joe Judge, members of the offensive staff and also general manager Dave Gettleman. The Giants wanted to get Golladay into their building, see him physically, and also find out if he would be a culture fit for a franchise that, with Judge at the helm, isn’t just blinded by talent.
The Giants had to get a medical check from Golladay, who played in just five games in 2020, missing two games with a hamstring problem and nine other games with a hip flexor injury. The Giants sent Golladay to the hospital for special surgery to be examined on Friday.
The visit ended when Golladay left the facility early in the evening on Friday, but stayed in the area overnight. The visit went well, according to a source, and the Giants were apparently pleased with what they heard from Golladay. Contract negotiations were underway and the Giants seemed confident that an agreement could be reached.
It’s not Golladay, the player, who’s giving the Giants a break here. They know he would immediately become the physical presence missing from their play. They understand that Golladay running across the field and bringing in passes from Daniel Jones would change the skin color of their attack. They also realize that he is not Randy Moss’s second coming. Still, the Giants are also well aware of the psychic shock of energy that a Golladay signing would inject into their fan base, and no doubt those who wander the halls and work in the building where the Giants work and practice.
The Giants insisted on visiting 27-year-old Golladay in person because they wanted answers to questions they had about him.
The Giants had to investigate what happened last season when Golladay hurt his hip in a November 1 loss to the Colts. He stopped playing, but was not put on the injured reserve, as the Lions were hoping for his return. It has been speculated that Golladay, in search of a new contract, was not rushing onto the field.
Darrell Bevell, the Lions’ interim head coach, said last season that the claim was unfounded. Asked if Golladay made a business decision by not playing, Bevell told reporters in Detroit, “I can be clear he isn’t.”
A source told The Post that, during the 2020 season, Golladay turned down a long-term extension with the Lions for $ 18 million a year. Other top receivers Amari Cooper, Keenan Allen, and DeAndre Hopkins all then signed new deals averaging at least $ 20 million a year. A source said Golladay looked at that annual fee. He won’t get that with free agency and probably won’t get close.
Golladay carried out a media boycott last season that lasted more than a month. In October, he posted a photo on Instagram with the caption ‘This won’t cost you anymore!’. This was believed to refer to the lions who did not have a new contract. Not long after, he “ liked ” an Instagram post from the NFL that said Detroit head coach Matt Patricia had been fired.
The Giants needed to hear what was happening. Remember, Judge told Golden Tate to stay home on a road trip to Washington because of what Judge viewed as selfish acts on the part of the recipient. That Tate’s wife complained about his use on social media didn’t help. Tate was released off-season.
At the end of last season, Golladay broke his media silence and said, “I mean, everyone knows what I’m capable of. I wasn’t worried about, ‘I gotta play, man. I have to show the people. ‘People know who Kenny Golladay is and I really tried to make sure my body was right. I don’t want to go there and tape bad stuff. ”
Judge has been in a relationship with Patricia for the years they coached the staff of Bill Belichick’s Patriots together. Judge can contact Patricia (and no doubt did) about Golladay. Belichick also has Patricia as a resource. That the Giants and Patriots, two teams looking for receivers, did not take the chance to sign Golladay is telling. That Golladay, considered by many to be the best receiver on the market, was not an early signing by anyone in the competition, he says.
The Giants have added this off-season Kyle O’Brien to their human resources department, and he’s another source for Golladay information. O’Brien spent the past five seasons with the Lions and was there in 2017 when Golladay was selected from Northern Illinois in the third round of the NFL draft.