How Kenny Golladay Signing Elsewhere Helps Detroit Lions

What type of draft capital could the Detroit Lions gain if wideout Kenny Golladay leaves and signs with another team?

Once a lock to be franchise-tagged, wideout Kenny Golladay appears to be headed elsewhere, after the Detroit Lions elected to not use the tag on their No. 1 wide receiver. 

NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero first reported the news Tuesday afternoon.

In four seasons with the Lions, Golladay amassed 3,068 yards and 21 touchdowns on 183 catches. He emerged as a budding star during the 2019 season, in which he was named a Pro Bowler and totaled 1,190 yards and 11 touchdowns on 65 catches.

The value of the franchise tag was expected to be around $17 million for Golladay. 

Detroit last used the franchise tag on defensive end Ziggy Ansah in 2018, who played in only seven games due to injuries and produced just four sacks before signing with Seattle in 2019.

The only other recipients of the franchise tag from the Lions in the last 15 seasons have been defensive end Cliff Avril (2012), defensive tackle Corey Redding (2006) and center Jeff Backus (2005). Avril signed with Seattle following his tag season and won a Super Bowl, while Redding and Backus each ended up with multi-year deals in Detroit.

Should Golladay sign elsewhere, the Lions would be in line for a third-round compensatory draft pick in 2022. That would allow for Detroit to have two first-round selections, one second-round pick and two third-round selections in 2022. 

The Lions will have to make decisions on 17 other free agents, as well, including defensive end Romeo Okwara and kicker Matt Prater.

The decision to not franchise tag Golladay is the latest decision that the front office has made, with decisions to cut cornerback Desmond Trufant and linebacker Christian Jones having come in the previous days.

Detroit now has just two players on its roster on non-futures contracts at the position: Tyrell Williams, who was recently signed, and 2020 fifth-rounder Quintez Cephus. Meanwhile, Tom Kennedy and Victor Bolden are two receivers that are on futures contracts.

There’s also Geronimo Allison, who was signed last season but opted out after the birth of his first child.

Luckily for Detroit, the 2021 draft class is full of potential stars at the wide receiver position. Alabama’s DeVonta Smith won the Heisman Trophy, while his teammate Jaylen Waddle flashed his high-end potential before suffering an ankle injury that caused him to miss a large chunk of the season.

LSU's Ja'Marr Chase, who opted out of the 2020 college football season, is another star-caliber prospect who NFL Draft expert Daniel Jeremiah called "a home run” for the Lions, should he be available with the No. 7 overall pick.

It’s certain that Golladay’s absence will be felt strongly within the organization. 

However, this is just the latest decision by a new regime that has shown its desire to get younger and cheaper with the hopes of becoming more competitive down the line.

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Lions Will Release Linebacker Christian Jones

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