Giants Receiver Kenny Golladay Breaks Silence Over Lack of Playing Time

Kenny Golladay made it clear that he's not happy with the amount of playing time he's received.

Author:
Patricia Traina
Publish date:
Sep 21, 2022 3:59 PM EDT

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New York Giants

New York Giants receiver Kenny Golladay admits that he's perplexed regarding his lack of game snaps.

Golladay, speaking to reporters Wednesday, said he's repeatedly been told by the coaches that he's doing everything they're asking of him, something one would think would theoretically lead to game reps.

Yet when it comes to game day, Golladay has become an afterthought in the Giants offense.

"I really don't agree with it," Golladay said of the decision to limit his snaps. "I can control without control, and that's coming to work every day."

The acquisition of Golladay was widely celebrated when he signed a four-year, $72 million contract as an unrestricted free agent last off-season. At the time, people thought Golladay might do for quarterback Daniel Jones what receiver Plaxico Burress did for Eli Manning.

So far, that hasn't been the case. A year removed at the time of a season-ending hip issue, Golladay found himself on and off the injury report with various injuries.

He also struggled to fit into the offensive scheme, at the time run by Jason Garrett, ending his first season as a Giant with zero touchdowns, an unheard-of stat for a guy viewed as a No. 1 receiver.

This past spring, Golladay underwent a knee procedure that kept him out of action during the OTAs. He returned for training camp and even praised the new offensive scheme implemented by head coach Brian Daboll and offensive coordinator Mike Kafka. He even spoke of his comfort level in the system and how it allowed receivers greater flexibility.

Any early enthusiasm, however, appears to have been drained from Golladay, who has yet to earn the game reps--he played in just two snaps in last week's win over the Panthers.

The lack of playing time has left him visibly frustrated.

"I came here to play. I'm pretty sure they're paying me to play," he said. "I guess they want to see more or get whatever situated on their end. I keep doing what I gotta do as far as just coming in each day."

Golladay said he tried to stay locked into what was happening on the sidelines last week and maintain positive energy. "I wasn't mad," he said. "I accepted the role and was just trying to stay locked in case I did get in there and the ball came my way, I won't be checked out to the point where I'm making mistakes or dropping the ball."

But clearly, the coaching decision bothered Golladay enough to open dialogues with Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen, the details of which he declined to disclose other than to reveal that both sides agreed to disagree.

"It is what it is. It's a business," Golladay said.

On Monday, DAboll, who has insisted all along that the wide receiver room is very competitive, said, "Regardless of where you’re drafted, how you got here, how much money you make, we believe in everybody goes out there and competes, and we play the guys that earn the right to play that week."

Golladay, who said this is the first time he's been in this situation in his career, is earning a $13 million base salary but counts for a whopping $21.15 million against the team's cap, the highest cap figure on the team this year.

If the Giants were to cut him at this point, there would be no cap savings gained--in addition to the $25.4 million dead money from his prorated bonus, the Giants would have an additional $42.5 million dumped into the dead money column.

When asked about his relationship with the coaching staff, Golladay said, "I'm not here to be friends with coaches; they're just co-workers," revealed that Wednesday's practice went well. He also vowed to be ready to go Monday night if his number was called but also stated that he "should be playing regardless."

If he doesn't start seeing more snaps, would he prefer a change of scenery?

"We're gonna see how it goes; we're gonna see how I go," he said.