Bears Listed As Top Kenny Golladay Trade Destination
The Chicago Bears passing game is a mess. People are pointing in every direction, trying to find the source. Justin Fields can’t read the field or hit open guys. The offensive line’s pass protection isn’t nearly good enough. The wide receivers aren’t creating enough separation. In reality, each of those has an element of truth to it. Fields isn’t getting the best protection, and his weaponry is hardly star-studded. Still, he deserves his share of criticism too. GM Ryan Poles and head coach Matt Eberflus have to seek solutions. Maybe Kenny Golladay is one.
In 2019, the former Detroit Lions wide receiver was a borderline Pro Bowler. He’d cracked 1,000 yards with 11 touchdown catches. He missed most of 2020 with nagging injuries, but that didn’t stop the New York Giants from handing him a lucrative contract last off-season. It appears they’re regretting that deal. After an uninspiring 2021 where he didn’t crack 600 yards or score a TD, he now has two catches through three games this season. Word is the Giants have been trying to find a team that will take him off their hands. His contract makes that difficult. Still, it’s possible he could be dealt sooner than later, and Eric Edholm of NFL.com thinks the Bears are an obvious destination.
He explained why.
“But there aren’t a ton of daunting games on the schedule, and if the Bears think they can be a surprise contender, adding a veteran to the receiving room could make some sense. It also might help in the new regime’s evaluation of Fields — how can they truly tell how good he can be if he’s working with an incomplete offensive crew?…
…Golladay might have interest in going home, too. He’s a Chicago native who went to Northern Illinois, and if he’s looking for the chance for revenge against his former Lions team, whom he’s never faced, the Bears still have them twice later in the season. When he played for the Lions, Golladay was a notorious Bears killer.”
The Giants were more than willing to take on a significant chunk of his salary to move Kenny Golladay before the roster cutdown, to no avail. He’s been available for a while—with the contract making it difficult to trade him.
Might take an injury somewhere to make it happen. https://t.co/JuSDcUxQvA
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) September 27, 2022
Kenny Golladay is an easy sell at the right price.
The contract is the big hurdle. There is a lot of guaranteed money left to pay, and no team will want to eat it, given how he’s playing right now. New York’s willingness to eat most of that money makes it easier. However, it still isn’t known what compensation they’re seeking for him. Golladay is only 28 years old. So he isn’t over the hill. He can still regain the former he showed a few years ago. That said, the Giants might have to be willing to accept a minimal draft pick to get him out of there.
From the Bears’ perspective, the contract isn’t overly daunting. They have the most cap space of any team going into 2023. Not having to pay the guarantees would make taking it on easy. The question for them is whether a 6th round-ish pick is worth the risk for a guy that looks nothing like what he was after getting his money. It is hard to accept the idea he’d be able to help get Fields out of his slump. Maybe a fresh start helps him.