There was a thought Kenny Golladay would finally produce for the Giants against the Texans on Sunday. The wide receiver returned to the field for the first time since Week 4, and with Sterling Shepard done for the year and Kadarius Toney now in Kansas City, this was the time for the veteran to do something.
Nope.
Golladay gave the Giants more of the same in a 24-16 win, continuing to do nothing to prove he’s worth his $72 million contract.
Quarterback Daniel Jones targeted Golladay twice: both drops. While you could blame the first drop on a slightly inaccurate pass, the second one was a wide-open blunder. Golladay came across the field on a second-and-5 and a likely first-down reception bounced off his hands. The mistake was met with a shower of MetLife Stadium boos, with the veteran headed to the bench thereafter. Recent waiver claim Isaiah Hodgins then took his place.
So through five games, Golladay has just two receptions for 22 yards. And the frustrations are certainly alive and well — Golladay believes this is the most challenging stretch of his career and he’s trying to find the overall solution (as is the entire organization).
“Of course I didn’t expect what’s going on right now,” the mild-mannered Golladay told reporters after Sunday’s game, with an obvious look of frustration in his eyes. “[Need to] stay mentally locked in. That’s it.”
Golladay, however, did not express his thoughts on the coaches’ decision to bench him.
While he may say he wants to be here, Golladay is in need of a major change of scenery. Despite being the second-highest-paid player on the team (behind Leonard Williams), he’s hardly healthy and isn’t much of a fit even when he’s on the field. Head coach Brian Daboll’s offense values the slot guy over the tall, over-the-top receiver, which is what former GM Dave Gettleman signed Golladay to be.
The future. And thanks to the horrendous financial and contractual mismanagement of that very deal, the Giants cannot get rid of Golladay for months. The trade deadline has passed and there’s no way they can afford to cut ties now, which would force them to eat up dead cap space amid their current financial woes (just under $3.5 million in available cap space).
The only thing the Giants can do is cut him this offseason and take on the $14.7 million 2023 dead cap charge. They can make him a post-June 1 cut to lower that dead cap charge to $7.9 million, but it’s tough to believe the Giants would wait that long into the offseason to make a move.
The only alternative scenario is Golladay somehow impressing starting next week against the Lions and the Giants finding a way to trade him in the offseason. But unless he’s an absolute star the rest of the season, no team will be trading for him without the Giants taking on some of his remaining contract ($21.4 million cap hits over the next two years).
Since consistent production is a pipedream at this point, it’s time the Giants just start counting down the days until they can cut ties with the overpaid receiver, who carries arguably the worst contract in franchise history.
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