Daniel Jones still has a lot to prove, but he demonstrated enough over the course of two years that he helped attract a first division wide receiver to sign with the Giants.
Sure, Kenny Golladay signed a lucrative life-changing contract – four years, $ 72 million – but the Giants didn’t even come to an agreement on that deal until Friday.
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That was day 3 of the process by which the Giants put Golladay, interviewing him and giving him a physical exam, to make sure they were prepared to bring him. Golladay was widely seen as the best free agent wide receiver available and he still went through all of that.
Clearly, he wanted to be a giant.
At some point, he spoke to Jones. It didn’t hurt.
“He held out his hand,” Golladay said on Saturday in a video conference with reporters. “He just said how good a player he thought I was, I said the same thing about him. And he also said ‘we’re trying to do something great here.’ And that is what I do. “
Jones is far from being a finished product. Golladay seems to understand this.
Last season, Jones had just 11 touchdown passes in 14 games. Golladay scored 11 touchdowns alone in 2019, when he reached the Pro Bowl. He turned 39 times in 27 career games. In addition, the Giants’ attack only scored 17.5 points per game last season, the second worst total in the league.
But the Giants believe in Jones as their defender in the franchise. They said that on more than one occasion. It seems that Golladay also believes in him.
“Well, first of all, he’s still cool in the league,” said Golladay. “I want to grow up with him.”
Jones said in a statement released by the Giants that he is “very excited to have Kenny”.
“He has been an important player in this league,” said Jones. “When we talked, he was interested in the culture we have in the construction and in the team’s mentality. I think he had heard of the coaches, but he wanted to know how we saw it as players and how much we believe it. I think finding the right fit in that sense was important to him. I can’t wait to get on the field and work with him ”.
Golladay is 27, will turn 28 in November. Now he is under contract until 2024. Jones is 23, will turn 24 in May and will only be under contract until 2022, although the Giants may extend their fifth year option in 2023. It is not yet clear whether this will be the right move.
Jones’ appearance in 2021 will help the Giants a lot to figure this out.
It will help to have Golladay.
“I am still growing as a player and I feel that he and I can do good things,” said Golladay. “We have not yet entered the field of practice, but he and I are very excited.”
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