The New York Giants will be aggressive this off-season in adding offensive talent to assist Daniel Jones as he enters the third year on his rookie contract. If the Giants truthfully feel that Jones can be their franchise quarterback, giving him the weapons necessary is a priority, so we should expect them to be active in the free-agent market, but there could be some pushback by teams looking to retain the top receivers.
The consensus is that Allen Robinson of the Chicago Bears and Kenny Golladay of the Detroit Lions are the two top WRs on the market. With that being said, talented players are oftentimes franchise tagged by their teams to keep them around on a one-year deal. Both Robinson and Golladay could be doomed to this reality in the coming weeks, which would make their desire to hit free agency and sign long-term deals a bit more tumultuous.
CBS’s Jason La Canfora believes that Golladay will be tagged by Detroit:
Multiple league sources have told me Golladay will get the tag after his relationship with the prior regime in Detroit got rocky over prolonged extension negotiations. Could this be an eventual tag and trade? People around the league wouldn’t rule that out with the Lions rebuilding and trying to amass picks.
Golladay finished the 2020 season playing just five games, picking up 338 yards and two scores. He recorded a career-high 62.5% catch rate over the small sample size, but he would be a perfect fit with the Giants and coordinator Jason Garrett. As a big possession receiver, he can win 50/50 balls and dominate man coverage. Some would argue he is a proven receiver that has room to grow, and giving Jones a player of his quality would exponentially make him more effective.
As for Robinson, who is coming off a solid season with 1,250 yards and six scores, he will likely demand the most money on the market if he is not tagged. The expectation is that Chicago will do just that and potentially look to trade him for draft capital. However, this might be a good off-season for him to endure that reality, that way, he can cash in next year when the salary cap rises.
If both Kenny and Allen are off the board for the Giants, the mid-tier options are still somewhat attractive. Targeting Curtis Samuel and Corey Davis will likely be the Giants’ latter options, and I’m sure they’re preparing for that reality.