The New York Giants have been going to work this offseason, throwing money all over the place to help fix their team. I have to say that I can’t really hate the moves. The NFC East is in shambles of sorts. At first glance, the division looks like it’s up for grabs with the Eagles going into rebuilding mode, the WFT signing Ryan Fitzpatrick, and the Cowboys defense being utter trash truck juice. The Giants are taking advantage of the “NFC Least” and are actively making moves to better the team.
And then they went in and snagged one of the big fish in the wide receiver free agency pool: Kenny Golladay.
Now, I’ve gotten a chance to speak to some of my friends who are Giants fans; and some are both up and down on the move. I get why though. Kenny Golladay may not be the main concern when it comes to talent. Some may gripe on the price but that’s any fanbase at this point. If you want your team to be better, you definitely need to add weapons to it. Otherwise, you’re just spinning your wheels in the mud.
The Giants signed Kenny Golladay to a 4-year deal worth $72 million. The contract had $40 million guaranteed with a total worth of nearly $76 million. The signing makes Golladay the 6th-highest paid wide receiver in the game right now at $18 million a year.
Kenny Golladay contract terms, per source: 4 years, $72M with $40M gtd, including $17M signing bonus. Void fifth year to spread cap.
2021: $4.5M cap ($1M salary, $3.4M SB, $250K per game bonus)
2022: $21.15M cap ($13M salary, $3.4M SB, $4.5M roster bonus, $250K workout bonus)— Dan Duggan (@DDuggan21) March 21, 2021
While you can make the case as to whether or not Golladay is worth the money, what you may not be able to do is debate whether or not he has the talent. He clearly does when he’s healthy. Just after his rookie season, Golladay went on to have a breakout sophomore year. He finished as the WR9 with 11 touchdowns in 2019 and was T-13th in fantasy football points per game at 15.5.
The real issue is whether or not he can succeed with a quarterback like Daniel Jones. Jones hasn’t been the best quarterback with the weapons he’s had so far. While some expect Jones to take the kind of leap that Josh Allen took once he got Stefon Diggs on the Bills, Daniel Jones doesn’t seem to have the same level of talent that Josh Allen has.
Jones finished as the QB 24 with just 11 touchdowns to 10 interceptions and the 5th-worst completion percentage (62.5%) for the 2020 season. He also averaged just 6.6 yards per attempt, 9th-worst among quarterbacks. For Jones to take the kind of leap that catapulted Josh Allen to a Top-5 quarterback would be astounding, to say the least.
Kenny Golladay is going to need Daniel Jones to level up; and so will fantasy football owners if they’re looking to add him to their roster this coming season. None of the Giants pass catchers have made it inside the Top-20 in fantasy points last season outside of Evan Engram who finished as the TE18. Still not good.
Golladay has the potential to put up top numbers as long as he can stay on the field. But going from Matthew Stafford to Daniel Jones is definitely a downgrade.
On paper, it looks like a move that needed to be made as Daniel Jones and the Giants had to add a true number one wide receiver to help the team out. Personally, I’m not getting any shares of Kenny Golladay in my fantasy football leagues.
Daniel Jones hasn’t shown enough development as a passer and still has serious ball security issues to deal with. There’s just too much more risk in taking Golladay than it would be taking a wide receiver like Chris Godwin or CeeDee Lamb, both of whom share a 4th-round ADP according to Fantasy Football Calculator.
Golladay may be a great addition to the team, but to me the Giants look like “paper champs” right now.
