The Giants and Jets splashed free agent on the wide receiver last week. Now, we can watch in the coming years to see who made the best decision.
The Giants signed a $ 72 million four-year contract with Kenny Golladay, with $ 40 million guaranteed on Saturday. They grabbed the receiver that most observers rated the best available at a free agency. At $ 18 million a year, there are doubts about whether they overpaid, but if it helps defender Daniel Jones develop, no one will worry about the money in three years.
The Jets attacked quickly last Monday, when the trading window opened, arresting Corey Davis with a three-year, $ 37.5 million contract, which includes a guaranteed $ 27 million.
Both teams badly needed an upgrade on the wide receiver to help their young defenders. This market was perfectly configured for them, since there were more good receivers available than normal, thanks to the decreasing salary cap. Even after Allen Robinson (Bears) and Chris Godwin (Buccaneers) received the franchise’s brand, the Giants and Jets had good options.
Giants general manager Dave Gettleman decided to shop at Tiffany’s and sign the most expensive receiver on the market to give Jones a new number one target. The move carries some risks because Golladay played just five games last season for Lions and is now under pressure to stick to his contract.
Jets general manager Joe Douglas considered Golladay too expensive and instead targeted Davis. The Jets like him and think he is entering the peak. Davis was the fifth overall choice in the 2017 draft for the Titans, so he lived under pressure throughout his NFL career. The new contract is not going to add anything to that. The Jets haven’t had a 1,000-yard receiver since 2015 and need someone to help whoever their quarterback is in 2021, be it Sam Darnold or Zach Wilson or someone else.
Comparing the two receivers, Golladay had more production, but his 2020 season raises some questions. Golladay had two seasons of receiving 1,000 yards and 21 career touchdowns. His best season was in 2019, when he had 65 receptions for 1,190 yards and 11 touchdowns. A hip injury kept Golladay out of the field, except for five games last year, and there were some doubts about how much he tried to get back on the pitch. Clearly, the Giants obtained satisfactory answers to these questions during their visit.
Davis was considered a disappointment in Tennessee, after being selected for both in the draft and then fighting early. Davis has only 11 touchdowns in his career. Golladay did this in one season. But Davis had his best season last year. He took 65 passes for 984 yards and five touchdowns. The main question about Davis is how he will fend off the talented Tennessee attack. He was receiving passes from Ryan Tannehill, who became one of the best defenders in the NFL. The Titans also had AJ Brown on the opposite side of Davis and Derrick Henry in the backfield to give them a strong running game and help set up action passes.
If you look at the Pro Football Focus scores for the past three seasons, Davis has had the better of the two. Its 2020 score of 85.3 was ranked 10th out of 127 wide receivers. Golladay scored 81.0 in 2018, which was the 21st out of 118 recipients. Golladay scored 79.9 in 2019 and did not qualify in 2020. Davis scored 70.4 in 2019 and 76.4 in 2018.
We will probably have a good response in two years about which contract was the best. Davis’s contract has no money guarantee after 2022, so the Jets can move on if he is disappointed. The Golladay contract is yet another three-year commitment in terms of when the Giants could comfortably move on.
The Giants made a much bigger financial commitment than the Jets. Not only in terms of guaranteed money – $ 40 million versus $ 27 million – but also in average annual value. Golladay’s AAV, $ 18 million a year, is tied for sixth among recipients. Davis’ $ 12.5 million is the 20th.
Both teams believe they have improved their receipt in the past week. Now, we’ll see if they are right and who made the best decision.