When the New York Giants signed WR Kenny Golladay to a four-year, $72 million deal last offseason, they were expecting to get the guy who led the league in receiving touchdowns in 2019 and had two one-thousand-yard seasons with the Lions.
In four seasons with the Lions, Golladay scored 21 touchdowns, and In 2018-19, he had 135 receptions for 2,253 yards and 16 touchdowns.
However, in 2021, Golladay battled injuries and finished the season with 37 receptions and a team-leading 521 yards but no touchdowns. It was a frustrating season for Golladay. However, fortunately for him, that’s the past.
“Last year, there were a lot of injuries involved,” Golladay said on Monday. “I think this year is a little bit better as far as just the training staff, strength staff, and then coaching staff taking care of our bodies and then us as players doing the right things on and off the field, and extremely well on the field.”
The six-year veteran also discussed not reaching the endzone for the first time in his career.
“It was disappointing, but like I said, a lot played a role in that,” he said.
The 28-year-old is excited to play in Brian Daboll’s system, which according to Golladay, is “receiver friendly.”
“First off, the offense is totally different,” he said. “A lot of moving parts, as you can see. (Head Coach Brian Daboll) Coach is putting people in different positions at all times, keeping the defense guessing. (It’s) very receiver friendly. Now, we are just working on getting on the same page as far as receivers, running backs, and then (Quarterback Daniel Jones) DJ. Right now, we are having fun out there.”
This season, if healthy, New York will have Kadarius Toney, rookie Wan’Dale Robinson, Sterling Shepard, and Saquon Barkley. With that talent, Golladay believes New York could be solid on offense.
“You’ve got KT (Kadarius Toney), you have Wan’Dale, you have myself, you have some tight ends that are going to step up and make some plays for us, you’ve got Saquon coming out of the backfield, whenever (Wide Receiver Sterling Shepard) Shep is ready to get back out there,” he said. “I feel like we can do some things.”
The Giants are banking on Golladay to have a better season in 2022, and clearly, you don’t give him a big contract without that belief. However, it won’t solely be on Golladay; it could depend on the play of Daniel Jones, who will have one more year to prove he can be the Giants’ franchise quarterback. If Jones is better, Golladay will undoubtedly be better.
