Detroit Lions News: Predicting Kenny Golladay’s contract extension
By Bob Heyrman
Will being injured for most of the 2020 season hurt Kenny Golladay’s overall value as he seeks a new contract with the Detroit Lions?
Now, in a perfect world, the Detroit Lions lock up their young star receiver this offseason, leaving both parties happy and salivating over what the future may bring.
Kenny Golladay has been hampered by a lingering hip injury all season long, and I can’t help but wonder if the injury will harm his upcoming contract negotiations; part of being one of the highest-paid players at your respectful position is the ability to remain healthy, and grind through the season.
Golladay is a third-round selection from the 2017 draft and might be Bob Quinn’s best draft choice during his tenure as Detroit Lions GM.
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Heading into the 2020 season, Golladay had been coming off of a career year where he led the NFL with 11 receiving touchdowns along with compiling 1,190 yards in the newly appointed offensive coordinator, Darrell Bevell’s scheme; despite losing Stafford to injury for eight games. It begs the question if losing Golladay for much of this season has played a role in Detroit’s offense sputtering at times.
The Detroit Lions surely hoped to get a contract extension completed with Golladay this past summer, but once negotiations stalled, Golladay seemingly shifted his focus to football. The receiver mentioned ‘I don’t care if it takes the entire season, if it doesn’t happen, it doesn’t happen. The only thing I can control is my play on the field and the energy I bring to the field every day.’
Here we sit in December with no contract extension, a franchise without a general manager, and quite frankly, a minimal amount of offensive production from Golladay.
Golladay has appeared in five games during the 2020 season, recording 338 yards while corralling 20 receptions and two touchdowns while maintaining a catch rate of 62.5 percent. That’s good for an average of four receptions and 67.6 yards per game. While that production doesn’t jump out and scream $20-million man, the numbers are a bit skewed due to the fact Golladay failed to make a catch in one of those five games but did garner four targets.
With players such as Amari Cooper and Keenan Allen re-signing for around $20 million per season sets the bar for a new Golladay deal, but don’t overlook a player like Robert Woods may not be a flashy player but surprisingly ranks as a top-ten pass-catcher. Woods recently signed an extension that averages $16.5 million per season.
Using those two deals as a template means we could speculate that Golladay’s extension may come in around $18 million per season as a floor and $20 million as a high-water mark. Will the Detroit Lions opt to pay roughly 10% of their cap on a wide receiver? That will really depend on who the next GM of the team is.
Next. Robert Saleh needs to be top choice. dark
At just 27-years old, Golladay’s production will peak during his next deal, and something should be said about drafting and developing your own, especially for a franchise that has historically struggled in that aspect of the game.