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Kenny Golladay expected to get Giants offer if all checks out

There is a certain sentiment expressed by a fan base whenever a visit such as this takes place. The player arrives, meets who he needs to meet, sees what he has to see, the team picks up the

There is a certain sentiment expressed by a fan base whenever a visit such as this takes place. The player arrives, meets who he needs to meet, sees what he has to see, the team picks up the vibes from the player and if all goes well, there is this plea:

Don’t let him out of the building without a contract.

Does that happen with the Giants and Kenny Golladay?

The talented wide receiver meets Thursday evening with the Giants at their team facility, an indication there is real interest on both sides.  Golladay, though, was reportedly in Chicago Wednesday meeting with the Bears, and there are rumblings the Bengals already made him an offer on a one-year deal. It is premature to surmise that Golladay is in great demand, as he has been on the open market since Monday and, despite his talent and production, has not yet found a new football home.

The Giants will do their due diligence. There will be COVID-19 testing and then Golladay will be given a medical workout. He played in only five games last season, dealing with a hip flexor injury, and that must get explored thoroughly. Golladay will meet with Joe Judge and the offensive coaches and also speak with general manager Dave Gettleman.  

It is not as if the Giants had no previous intel on Golladay. They recently hired Kyle O’Brien as a senior personnel executive. O’Brien spent the past five years with the Lions, and so he can give the Giants an inside observation of Golladay on and off the field.

If everything checks out, the Giants — who have already engaged in preliminary contract talks — are expected to put together an offer. The belief heading into free agency was for Golladay to cost as much as $20 million per year. That will not happen. Figure $15 million per year is closer to the target the Giants need to hit, unless both sides believe a one-year deal makes more sense. Will Fuller, one of the other top receivers available, settled on a one-year deal with the Dolphins. Miami was thought to be a possible destination for Golladay.

Clearly, this is not a slam-dunk decision for the Giants, or else they would have already engaged in serious contract talks and tried to sign Golladay without a visit. Just as clearly, Golladay is not a slam-dunk around the league, or else someone out there, four days into the process, would have delivered a deal for him to consider and sign.

Kenny Golladay is meeting with the Giants Thursday evening.
Getty Images

Why the fuss for Golladay? The 27-year old target led the NFL with 11 touchdown passes in 2019, has two 1,000-yard receiving seasons and, at 6-foot-4, would give the Giants the length and wingspan they lack in their wideouts. Golladay would be the perfect complement to Sterling Shepard in the slot and Darius Slayton out wide. The Giants this week also took a flier on John Ross, signing the speed demon (and bust with the Bengals) to a one-year deal.

“This is a total compliment, he is a poor man’s DeAndre Hopkins,” an NFL source who watches the Lions closely told The Post, referring to Golladay. “He doesn’t separate great, Hopkins can’t separate but he just catches every ball that comes his way.”

Golladay’s 39 contested catches on passes of 10 or more yards are the most in the NFL since 2018, according to Pro Football Focus.

This year’s NFL Draft is chock-full of receivers, but the Giants only have six picks and would prefer not to get backed into a corner with the No. 11 overall selection. Their need for playmakers gets solved if they add Golladay and his visit with them could make all the difference.

This story originally appeared on: NyPost - Author:Paul Schwartz

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