Detroit Lions interim coach Darrell Bevell told reporters today that wide receiver Kenny Golladay is not expected to play Sunday and his season is over.
Golladay will finish the year with 225 snaps over five games, producing 20 receptions on 32 targets for 338 yards and two receiving touchdowns. A considerably disappointing season after finishing 2019 with a career-high 1,179 receiving yards, a league-leading 11 touchdown receptions, and his first Pro Bowl appearance.
Golladay entered 2020 with high aspirations and began working with the Lions front office on a contract extension, which both sides hoped would get done ahead of the regular season.
Unfortunately, not agreeing on a contract was only the beginning of Golladay’s disappointing season.
Golladay was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list in training camp — he acknowledged he tested positive — but he was able to return to the Lions training facilities before training camp practices began.
A hamstring injury in camp kept him from participating in the first two games of the regular season, but after two games of re-acclimating in Week 3 and 4, he came out of the bye looking like himself again — dominating defensive backs over Week 6 and 7.
That domination was short-lived and in Week 8, he suffered a hip injury. Coaches estimated his recovery time as week-to-week, and he saw some limited practices over Weeks 11 and 12. It’s unclear if he suffered a setback during that time, but he was unable to practice the remainder of the season, and now his year is over.
With a new front office/coaching staff headed into Detroit, it’s unclear what the future hold for Golladay and the organization.
The Lions were hoping to see Golladay take the next step in his development and dominate this season as a true No. 1 receiver. But after how this season played out, are they still willing to pay him top dollar? And will the new management team be willing to dedicate a significant portion of a reducing salary cap to him with so many other needs on the roster?
These questions are truly unknown at this time.
What we do know is that if Golladay hits the open market, he will be considered one of the top free agents available. Golladay was identified as one of the top-2 receivers on the pending market by Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar, the No. 3 overall best free agent available by The Athletic’s Sheil Kapadia ($), and the No. 4 overall free agent by Pro Football Focus.
The Lions now have a little over three months before free agency begins to decide their approach to Golladay, and either hammer out a new contract, place the franchise tag on him, or let him walk and see where the chips fall.
