Kenny Golladay: Top 3 destinations for the free agent WR
The Detroit Lions under new general manager Brad Holmes and head coach Dan Campbell have already had to make some really tough decisions, the latest with star wide receiver Kenny Golladay.
Holmes worked with his former team on the first really big blockbuster trade of the 2021 offseason, sending former top pick Matthew Stafford to the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for another former top pick in Jared Goff (as well as some future first-round draft picks).
The Lions have apparently now informed pending free agent receiver Kenny Golladay that he will be hitting the market instead of getting the franchise tag.
This report came from NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
The #Lions don’t plan to tag WR Kenny Golladay, per source.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 9, 2021
No final decision on whether Detroit may use a tag on someone else, but it appears Golladay is headed to the market.
Although he was limited to just five games in the 2020 season, Golladay is a high-impact playmaker at the wide receiver position and this move comes as a slight surprise given Golladay’s talent level.
The best the Lions will be able to do now is a third-round compensatory selection in 2022 depending on what happens with the rest of their free agency.
So where will Golladay go from here? He joins a loaded 2021 offseason crop of receivers available to prospective teams. Which ones should be going after him the hardest?
Let’s pick three.
1. Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens have been pretty consistently named among the teams looking to upgrade at the wide receiver position in the 2021 offseason.
Although there is no question about the fact that Baltimore’s preference historically is to upgrade through the NFL Draft, they have been willing to make bold moves in free agency when the timing is right to do so.
This might be one of those times.
No team throws touchdown passes at a higher rate per pass attempt than the Baltimore Ravens over the last two seasons.
When they throw the ball, they make it count.
Golladay is the kind of receiver who can win downfield matchups and be physical at the catch point that would really round out their receiver group which includes Hollywood Brown and tight end Mark Andrews.