CALABASAS, Calif. — In 2019, Lions receiver Kenny Golladay led the NFL in touchdown receptions with 11, despite the fact that quarterback Matthew Stafford missed half the season with a back injury. Golladay made the Pro Bowl for the first time in his three-year NFL career, and he also put up career highs in receiving yards (1,190) and yards per target (10.3).
But as a third-round selection in the 2017 draft out of Northern Illinois, Golladay has a slotted rookie contract that paid him a base salary of $676,000, which placed him 123rd overall for his position in 2019. His salary will increase to $2,144 million in 2020, the final year of that rookie deal, but it’s clear that Golladay is about to receive a major payday from some team. Over the last two seasons, Golladay has more receiving yards (2,253) than Amari Cooper, Stephon Diggs, Jarvis Landry, and Odell Beckham, Jr. His 16 receiving touchdowns over the last two seasons ties him with Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Cooper Kupp, Antonio Brown, and Eric Ebron for third-best in the NFL. And he ranks eighth in that time in yards per target (9.59) among receivers with at least 100 catches.
Getting his offseason program started at Travelle Gaines’ Athletic Gaines facility near Los Angeles, Golladay isn’t concerned about any of that — at least, not that he’s letting on.
“It’s really a blessing,” he said of his current situation. “I just try to walk in the building and be the same guy every day. That’s my big thing. They know what they’re going to get out of me. I put the work in, and it shows on the field.”
But he did laugh when I asked him what his second contract would look like. There are 11 NFL receivers whose contracts currently average $15 million per year or more, and it wouldn’t be at all surprising if Golladay joined their ranks once the 2021 league year turns over — or, if the Lions pony up, perhaps sooner.
“Really good, for sure,” Golladay said regarding his feelings about the upcoming numbers. “I wouldn’t mind being in Detroit for a while. Everything should work itself out. I’m enjoying myself.”
Golladay talked about working on “getting the body back going and trying to work on the little things” with Gaines, who’s trained NFL players and draft prospects for 14 years, and Gaines told him during a Monday workout that when Golladay gets the little muscles conditioned and working together, he’ll be an even more fearsome challenge for enemy defenses.
“All the little muscles that support everything, you know, just making sure they’re strong and stable,” Golladay said of Gaines’ philosophy. “I feel all that helps with running mechanics and flexibility.”
As for the Stafford situation and how it could have affected his performance when the roster changed to accommodate David Blough and Jeff Driskel… well, it didn’t. Golladay was actually more productive in some ways in November and December when the quarterback position was in flux (34 receptions in 61 targets for 682 yards, 11.2 yards per target and five touchdowns) than he was in September and October (31 receptions in 55 targets for 508 yards, 9.2 yards per target and six touchdowns). The “no-matter-what” mindset stretches back to his days as Northern Illinois.
“To be honest, I went through a lot of quarterbacks when I was in college,” he recalled. “And I know college and the NFL are totally different, but really, it’s just about being there before. When our top guy went out, that’s when other guys had to step up. People are going to look more to you, and you can’t shy away from it, really. You gotta just… let’s go.”
Citing Randy Moss as his favorite receiver, Golladay says that he doens’t have a favorite route or passing concept; it’s more about making contested catches at the right time. To Golladay, that’s what separates him from the crowd — literally and figuratively.
“Those tough 50-50 balls — attacking the ball when I’m in the air and bringing it down. You make a play for the team, and make a play for the quarterback. Just being that guy — when the quarterback needs to be bailed out, and he has that trust in you where he knows you’ll come down with it. You’ve got to be consistent with that stuff.”
Golladay’s been consistent with all that stuff, and sooner or later, he’s going to be rewarded — massively — especially if his new training methods turn him into that proverbial next level. The potential, and the production, are already obvious.
Touchdown Wire editor Doug Farrar previously covered football for Yahoo! Sports, Sports Illustrated, Bleacher Report, the Washington Post, and Football Outsiders. His first book, “The Genius of Desperation,” a schematic history of professional football, was published by Triumph Books in 2018 and won the Professional Football Researchers Association’s Nelson Ross Award for “Outstanding recent achievement in pro football research and historiography.”