Former Detroit Lions receiver Kenny Golladay has reached agreement with the New York Giants on a four-year, $72 million deal, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The deal can be worth up to $76 million and includes $40 million guaranteed, the source said.
It didn’t happen without a visit first. The Giants had questions for Golladay about the way his tenure in Detroit ended — he had a shaky relationship with fired coach Matt Patricia — and the hip injury that forced him to miss the final nine games of the 2020 season. He eased their concerns during meetings that lasted all day Friday, sources told ESPN.
Golladay remained in New York after the visit ended, while he passed one last medical hurdle and the final details of the massive deal were negotiated, sources said. It allowed him to sign at his preferred landing spot and gave the Giants — most notably quarterback Daniel Jones — the No. 1 receiver they desperately needed.
Golladay emerged as the Lions’ top receiving option the past three seasons, including a Pro Bowl berth in 2019, when he amassed 1,190 yards and 11 touchdowns. He had hoped to improve on that in 2020, but hamstring and hip injuries limited him to five games and just 20 catches for 338 yards and two touchdowns.
A third-round pick by the Lions out of Northern Illinois in 2017, the 27-year-old Golladay played in 47 games for Detroit, making 183 catches for 3,068 yards and 21 touchdowns.
Golladay reiterated in December that his preference would be to remain in Detroit. Of course, this was also before the trade of Matthew Stafford to the Los Angeles Rams and the hiring of new coach Dan Campbell and general manager Brad Holmes. However, Golladay did say then that his decision could be influenced by what the offense looked like — and if Stafford was with Detroit.
“They drafted me here, so I just want to show my loyalty,” Golladay said. “They believed in me. If a contract [with the Lions] … doesn’t work out, it doesn’t work out, you know. Then I go somewhere else and just ball out and play.”
ESPN’s Michael Rothstein and Jordan Raanan contributed to this report.