Kenny Golladay scores his first Giants TD ... two seasons after he signed a $72 million contract
Giants paid Golladay near $36 million for 1 touchdown
It took him two full seasons, but Kenny Golladay finally scored a touchdown for the New York Giants.
He did it spectacularly, too, hauling in a one-handed catch in the waning moments of the Giants' Week 18 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. The Giants lost, 22-16, but the game did not affect New York's playoff position as the No. 6 seed.
This is what the Giants thought they paid for when they handed Golladay a four-year $72 million contract in 2021. Instead, it took Golladay almost 22 months since he signed the deal and 26 full games to produce any scoring plays for New York. That boils down to nearly $36 million per touchdown over the past two years. Woof.
Even worse: Golladay last scored a touchdown on Oct. 4, 2020, when he played for the Detroit Lions. That was 826 days ago! Between then and now, the United States elected President Joe Biden, Taylor Swift released two albums and Tom Brady won a Super Bowl, retired and un-retired.
All the while, Golladay has gone from injured starter to team pariah under new head coach Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen.
Golladay's 2022 season was muddled with drops and frustrations over his role. Including Week 18, Golladay managed just 43 receptions, 602 receiving yards and that one touchdown in his first two seasons with the Giants. That's a terrible return on investment for the Giants, even it if was made by a previous regime. As such, Daboll played Golladay in only 27 percent of the team's offensive snaps prior to Week 18 — which was fourth among receivers and slightly more than David Sills and Marcus Johnson.
What's next for Golladay in New York remains to be seen. He still has two years left on his contract, but only $4.5 million of his 2023 salary is guaranteed. If the Giants cut Golladay before June 1, they'll incur a dead-cap hit of $14.6 million but save $6.7 million in salary cap, according to Over The Cap. Considering how little Golladay saw the field in 2022, that seems a likely outcome given his impending $21.4 cap hit next year.
For now, though, he'll play for the Giants as they head into the postseason for the first time since 2016. Whether or not Golladay sees many snaps, though, is up to Daboll. But perhaps a glimpse of Golladay's potential in a meaningless game will change the coaching staff's perception of him. We'll see next week when the Giants take on the Minnesota Vikings.
