The Giants and Jets both made free-agent splashes on wide receiver last week. Now we can see in the coming years who made the better decision.
The Giants signed Kenny Golladay to a $ 72 million four-year deal with a $ 40 million guarantee on Saturday. They seized the receiver most observers rated as the best available in the free service. At $ 18 million a year, there are questions as to whether they paid too much, but if it helps quarterback Daniel Jones develop, no one will worry about the money in three years’ time.
The Jets quickly struck last Monday when the negotiation window opened, closing Corey Davis on a three-year $ 37.5 million contract, including $ 27 million guaranteed.
Both teams desperately needed an upgrade at wide receiver to help their young quarterbacks. This market worked perfectly for them as there were more good receivers available than usual thanks to the falling salary ceiling. Even after Allen Robinson (Bears) and Chris Godwin (Buccaneers) got the franchise tag, the Giants and Jets had good options.
Giants CEO Dave Gettleman decided to shop at Tiffany’s and sign the most expensive receiver on the market to give Jones a new No. 1 target. The move comes with some risk as Golladay only played five games for the Lions last season and is now under pressure to honor his contract.
The general manager of Jets, Joe Douglas, found Golladay overpriced and turned to Davis instead. The Jets love his attack with their insult and think he is in his prime. Davis was the # 5 overall pick in the Titans’ 2017 draft, so he has lived his entire NFL career under pressure. The new contract will not add to that. The Jets haven’t had a 1,000-meter receiver since 2015, and in 2021 will need someone to help whoever their quarterback is, be it Sam Darnold or Zach Wilson or anyone else.
Comparing the two receivers, Golladay has had more production, but its 2020 season raises some questions. Golladay has had two 1,000 yard host seasons and has 21 touchdowns in his career. His best season was 2019 when he had 65 catches for 1,190 yards and 11 touchdowns. A hip injury kept Golladay aside all but five last year and there were some questions about how hard he was trying to get back to the field. Clearly, the Giants received satisfying answers to those issues during his visit.
Davis was considered a disappointment in Tennessee after being selected so high in the draft and struggling early afterward. Davis has only 11 touchdowns in his career. Golladay did that in one season. But Davis had his best season last year. He caught 65 passes for 984 yards and five touchdowns. The main question about Davis is how he will fare outside of the talented Tennessee attack. He got passes from Ryan Tannehill, who has become one of the better quarterbacks in the NFL. The Titans also had AJ Brown on the other side of Davis and Derrick Henry in the backfield to give them a strong running game and help set up play-action passes.
If you look at Pro Football Focus numbers from the past three seasons, Davis had the best season of the two. Its 2020 rating of 85.3 ranked 10th out of 127 wide receivers. Golladay had an 81.0 rating in 2018, which was 21 out of 118 recipients. Golladay had a mark of 79.9 in 2019 and was ineligible in 2020. Davis had a mark of 70.4 in 2019 and 76.4 in 2018.
In two years’ time we will probably have a good answer, on which signing was better. Davis’s contract has no guaranteed money beyond 2022, so the Jets can move on if he disappoints. Golladay’s contract is more of a three-year commitment in terms of when the Giants could move on comfortably.
The Giants have made a much greater financial commitment than the Jets. Not just in terms of guaranteed money – $ 40 million versus $ 27 million – but also in annual mean value. Golladay’s AAV of $ 18 million per year ranks sixth among recipients. Davis’ $ 12.5 million is 20th.
Both teams think they’ve gotten better at receiver over the past week. Now we are going to see if they are right and who made the best decision.