Fresh off his first career Pro Bowl selection, Lions WR Kenny Golladay was hoping to secure a monster contract extension this year, or at least to build upon his 2019 successes and set himself up well for unrestricted free agency in 2021. Unfortunately, injuries have limited him to just five games this season, and he has not played since November 1.
With Detroit out of playoff contention, interim HC Darrell Bevell is considering shutting Golladay down for the year. “I think that’s a conversation that’s coming,” Bevell said (via Justin Rogers of the Detroit News). “We’re really trying to get him back and he really wants to play, he wants to be in there, but that’s a conversation of where are we at in the season that it might come to that.”
Some skeptics have wondered if that’s what Golladay has wanted all along. Although a report in early September suggested that the Lions and their star receiver were closing in on a long-term deal, that obviously has not happened, and it would be hard to blame Golladay for making a business decision and protecting himself from further injury instead of jeopardizing his health in a lost season.
But Bevell and Golladay both insist that is not the case. Bevell said, “[t]he good thing for me is I’m in here every day. I get to see what he’s doing. I get to see what he’s putting his body through to try to get back for us and for his teammates. He’s doing that and that’s really what I can say.” Golladay added that he sustained a hip flexor strain during Detroit’s November 1 battle with the Colts and suffered a minor setback in rehab, but he has been doing everything in his power to return to the field.
The 27-year-old said he remains committed to the Lions and wants to stay in Detroit for the long haul, despite the fact that the club will be looking for a new head coach and GM in 2021 and could move on from QB Matthew Stafford. However, he knows that might not be in the cards.
After all, contract negotiations are on hold since the team fired former GM Bob Quinn, and the Lions will need to clear significant salary cap space to either hit Golladay with the franchise tag or hand him a multi-year pact worth $18-20MM per season, which is what he stands to make on the open market (assuming he is fully healthy by then). Still, he is hopeful something can get done when a new regime is brought in.
“You know, [the Lions] believed in me,” Golladay said. … “If it doesn’t work out, it doesn’t work out. Then I go somewhere else and ball out and play. But like I said, I’m a loyal person and of course I want to be here. I started my career here.”
Golladay is one of 4 wide receivers in the nfl in 2020 who played at NIU in 2015. Not bad for a mid major.
Why, Kenny? Go to a team that actually wins more than occasionally. They should trade Stafford, too. It’s a shame that they’ll never get to taste playoff victories.
Happy Golladays, Lions fans !!
Good one.
“Kenny Golladay was hoping to secure a monster contract extension this year”.
Like Darius Slay, he’ll have to go elsewhere to get that big payday. The Ford family is famous for being cheapskates.
I don’t think Slay is a very good example. He was expecting top-corner money off of a career-worst season and has been pretty miserable for Philadelphia thus far. I’m not saying the trade itself was very good, but I don’t think the decision to trade him at all was a mistake
Until this year he was fairly durable. From a fantasy perspective he’s a top 7 or 8 WR in football. It’s interesting how players careers unfold ..always the what if … what if Golladay, AJ Green or any great receiver on a bad team would have been a Saint, Packer or Seahawk… how good would they have been … Green was outstanding with Andy Dalton.:. Imagine him in his prime with Rodgers … same with Golladay… who is still in his prime
Lions are a great place for a wr. Can’t run the ball and always down by 20.
You clearly know nothing about the Lions. Over the last couple of seasons they’ve built a reputation as a team that always finds a way to blow a lead.
I don’t think they let Golladay walk. I truly believe he will be a player they build around. I think the only reason his deal is not done, is they have shifted their focus to a GM first. Once that deal is done, we will hear more on a long term Golladay deal. Look at all the news of interviews the Lions have lined up. There is still a good 10 candidates we don’t even know about.
I dont think they’ll let him walk either but it’s always hard to give a blank check to a guy who caught 20 balls the year before. TWENTY…..