NY Giants did not overpay when signing Kenny Golladay

As they say in life, if you want to make money, you need to spend money. Such is the case with the NY Giants as they spent a good amount of money in free agency to bolster their team. Taking that famous saying in life about money, it’s also true when it comes to NFL teams. If you want to be a contender, a team capable of doing some serious damage in the NFL Playoffs, you need to spend money on top free agents that can come in and immediately help the cause.

The Giants did exactly that when it came to strengthening their wide receiver corps. They knew, if they’re to fix an area of opportunity on offense when it came to wide receivers actually scoring touchdowns, they needed to spend money on the top free agent available. Someone who has a proven track record of scoring in the heat of the moment, experienced, and that should gel well with the Giants’ offense. Enter Kenny Golladay.

Big Blue acted quickly in free agency to land Golladay as they came to terms on a four-year, $72M contract with $40M of that guaranteed just for him to sign his name. That’s a lot of money to invest into someone whom the Giants believe can be an instant playmaker on an offense that was in dire need of a wide receiver to step up and bring fear against opposing defenses.

The NY Giants made the right decision with Kenny Golladay

Considering everything, did the Giants overpay to acquire the services of Golladay? Interestingly enough, Bleacher Report recently wrote an article breaking down every NFL team’s most overpaid player entering the 2021 season. Golladay made the list when it came to the section on the Giants.

In an article written by Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report, here is what they had to say about Golladay’s situation with the Giants:

"On one hand, New York Giants wideout Kenny Golladay has been a quality No. 1 receiver. On the other hand, Golladay played with an elite passer in former Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford and got a massive deal in a weak market for receivers.If Golladay doesn’t pan out with quarterback Daniel Jones pulling the trigger, New York will be stuck. Golladay only has a cap hit of $4.5 million this season but will carry a hit of at least $21 million in each of the next three years. The dead money on his contract won’t dip below $10 million until 2024 either."

In the grand scheme of things, the Giants undoubtedly needed to do something big to improve their offense. Even with their offensive draft picks, that still requires time for proper development and progression, which can easily take a few years at best. At least with Golladay, they’re bringing in a proven wide receiver that is more than capable to make big plays, score touchdowns, and be an influence in the locker room for the upcoming season.

Yes, there is definitely a risk since Golladay does have a history of injuries involving his hip, hamstring, and chest but if he’s able to stay healthy, will definitely be a difference-maker on offense. Considering that in his tenure with the Detroit Lions he was able to total over 3,000 receiving yards and 21 touchdowns goes to show that he’s more than likely going to be an x-factor on the Giants’ offense.

General manager Dave Gettleman knew all this going into any kind of free agency contract with Golladay and obviously, they’ll know a lot more than the media/fans ever will with what happened behind the scenes. One thing is for sure, though, he was the top free agent wide receiver on the market and the Giants made it happen to ensure he came to the city that never sleeps to push the envelope and earn a ticket to the postseason.

Now, as we wait patiently for training camp to start, finally get some preseason games to watch, and the excitement of the upcoming regular season, it remains to be seen if the Giants made the right decision with Golladay or not. At the end of the day and on paper, it looks like a big acquisition for the Giants in adding such an established playmaker to their offense that desperately needed someone of Golladay’s caliber.

A team must take risks both on and off the field in order to win football games. When it comes to big free agents that have millions of dollars involved, teams must also spend a lot of money to bring top talent into a roster which will hopefully translate to winning more football games.

Winning fixes everything and always comes at a price. The Giants paid all that money for Golladay and considering what he brings to the table right off the bat, no, they did not overpay for him. Once he steps foot on the field in football games that actually matter and starts to score touchdowns as he’s done so many times already in the past with the Lions, fans will soon realize that he was undoubtedly worth every dollar.