Though the primary focus on the Detroit Lions’ offseason right now is the future of Matthew Stafford and what the Lions can get in return from a trade, soon the team will have to turn their attention to arguably the second-best player on the roster. Wide receiver Kenny Golladay is on an expiring rookie contract after the previous regime failed to sign him to an extension in 2020.
The new front office has yet to make any comments on Golladay’s future with the team, but the Lions wide receiver joined “Good Morning Football” on Thursday morning and gave a little insight to where he’s at.
The very first question Golladay got was about the status of his hip injury, which cost him the final nine games of the 2020 season. His answer was quite revealing.
“Actually, I’m feeling pretty good right now. I’m really excited to get back to work. Coach Campbell came with that energy. I’m trying to match the same energy he came with.”
Unprompted, he brings up new Lions head coach Dan Campbell and talks about him as if he’s already his new head coach. Later, the “Good Morning Football” crew asked him directly about Campbell and his entertaining press conference.
“I’m not going to lie, when I first saw it, I died laughing, but I loved it,” Golladay said. “That’s the energy I’m talking about. He set the tone right there. I guess we’re going to be biting some kneecaps off.”
Golladay’s clear eagerness to stay in Detroit comes as no surprise. It fits what he said for all all of 2020. He mentioned how grateful he is for getting drafted by the Lions, and said he wouldn’t mind spending his entire career in Detroit.
But the Lions face a difficult decision. With so much roster turnover expected under the new regime, can they afford to spend heavily on the wide receiver position? With Marvin Jones Jr. also set to hit free agency, does it make sense to spend heavily on one guy and perhaps draft another? The franchise tag—which ran around $17.9 million last year—is also on the table.
Another factor is the team’s quarterback. Golladay didn’t mention whether the eventual trade of Matthew Stafford will impact his decision to return or not, but he did have plenty of nice things to say about his quarterback.
“He’s a true leader, so wherever he goes, they’re going to get a true competitor,” Golladay said. “The dude is going to play through anything. He never wants to miss a game. I don’t even know how he finished the season with some of the injuries he did have, but I think everybody in this league knows what you’re going to get from Staff.”
Overall, though, it sounds like Golladay is still very much willing to stay in Detroit if the price is right. Now we’ll have to wait and see if that feeling is mutual.
