The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Giants plan to release WR Golladay, GM says
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The New York Giants have told wide receiver Kenny Golladay he will be released after two horrible seasons.
Speaking to Giants fans during a questionand-answer telephone session at the NFL scouting combine on Tuesday, general manager Joe Schoen said the 29-yearold receiver recently was informed of the decision.
A person with knowledge of the situation had told The Associated Press earlier Tuesday that the release would take place on March 15, the start of the league year.
Schoen said the team has not decided whether to release Golladay on that date or after June 1.
Doing it earlier would get Golladay and his fouryear, $72 million contract off the books by the end of 2023. It would clear up $6.7 million in cap space this season and leave $14.7 million in dead cap money.
If the move came after June 1, the Giants would have a little extra cap space, but the Golladay contract would carry over to next season with $6.8 million in dead cap money.
Golladay, who had two 1,000-yard seasons with the Detroit Lions and caught 16 touchdowns combined in 2018 and ‘19, caught 43 passes and one touchdown in his time with the Giants. The TD came in the final game this past season.
What the Giants decide might depend on how well Schoen does over the next week in negotiations with quarterback Daniel Jones and running back Saquon Barkley. Both are unrestricted free agents.
Schoen hopes to get a long-term deal done with one of them by next Tuesday so he could avoid having to use a franchise tag on one of them. The deadline for using the tag is March 7.
Speaking to reporters at the combine in Indianapolis, Schoen said he was cautiously optimistic about getting deals done with both players. He said he talked with agents for both players at the combine.
“We’re trying to work through it,” Schoen said. “You know, obviously, we’d like to have them both back. They know how we feel about both of them. Again, we’re we’re still working through it.”
Schoen, who was hired as general manager in January 2022, said the the financial numbers have to work out for both the players and the team.
“So if it gets out of hand and it’s out of our comfort zone, you know, we have the tag,” he said. “We can only tag one player. We’ll use that. If someone’s got to walk, that’s unfortunate, but that’s a part of the business. And we’re still building a team. And that’s important to keep in mind.”
Jones had a career year after the Giants failed to pick up the fifth-year option on his rookie contract. He led the team to a 9-7-1 record and a playoff win over Minnesota. New York lost in the divisional round to Philadelphia.
Jones, the No. 6 overall pick in 2019, threw for 3,205 yards and 15 touchdowns with five interceptions. He also ran for 708 yards and seven TDs.
Barkley, the No. 2 overall pick in 2018, ran for 1,312 yards and 10 TDs in his best and healthiest season since winning the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. He also matched the team lead in receptions with 57, for 338 yards.
Schoen said the Giants are trying to sign defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence to a contract extension. The team picked up the fifth-year option on his rookie contract before the start of last season.