Kenny Golladay Free Agent Signing One of the Worst in NFL Over Last Decade

Golladay's tenure with the Giants was a colossal fail for numerous reasons.

Kenny Golladay / Chris Pedota, NorthJersey.com / USA

After the New York Giants traded receiver Odell Beckham Jr. to the Cleveland Browns following the 2018 season, the team has struggled to find a legitimate No. 1 receiver. It hopes that with the arrival of rookie Malik Nabers, this struggle will be over.

But in between Beckham and NAbers was a string of attempts to fill that No. 1 receiver spot, starting with Golden Tate, primarily a slot receiver who was with the Giants from 2019 to 2020, and then Kenny Golladay, the latter landing on Matt Holder of Bleacher Report’s list of the .

Holder rightfully so gave the Golladay signing, made by then general manager Dave Gettleman, a big fat “F,” a mark we are totally on board with. 

For starters, Gettleman, who the year before in free agency went more for plates with better health histories, ended up breaking his own philosophy, which he always used to like to say, “Injured players are going to get injured.” 

Golladay, in his final season in Detroit (where he had been a third-round pick in 2017), was limited to five games that season, yet because of his prior history, which included back-to-back 1,000-yard receiving seasons in 2018 and 2019, made him one of if not the top wide receivers headed to market after the 2020 season. 

The Giants, hopeful that Golladay has overcome his injury issues, signed Golladay, two years removed from leading the league in touchdown catches with 11, to a four-year, $72 million deal with $28 million guaranteed.

New York, however, never got the return on investment made on the contract. In his first year in New York, Golladay, in 14 games, caught 37 passes for 521 yards and no touchdowns. 

After the team replaced head coach Joe Judge with Brian Daboll the following year, Golladay clashed with the new staff. He played in 12 games with four starts, upset with his diminishing role, which saw him finish what would be his final NFL season with six receptions for 81 yards and one touchdown.

Golladay was released the following off-season, and his time with the Giants was a colossal disappointment. 

To be fair, the Giants hoped that a healthy Golladay, known for his large frame and ability to make contested catches, would give quarterback Daniel Jones the missing ingredient in the passing game. 

That didn’t happen. In his first season in New York, Golladay was far from being a fit for then-offensive coordinator Jason Garrett’s stick route system. 

When Daboll arrived with Mike Kafka as the team’s new offensive coordinator, they kept an open mind regarding Golladay, who, in their thrilling Week 1 victory over the Titans, appeared in 77 percent of offensive snaps that game with two receptions for 22 yards. 

Unhappy, Golladay aired his grievances to the media, saying that he should play more, yet doing very little in practice to earn it. His first and only touchdown catch as a Giant came in Week 18 against the Eagles in his final season as a Giant.

Golladay, who some argued was never quite the same physically after his season-ending hip issue suffered in 2020, has been out of football since. He did have a workout with the Jets before the 2023 season, but they didn’t sign him.

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