With the Pro Bowl going virtual and the Super Bowl not until this Sunday, last weekend was shaping up to be a dead zone when it came to NFL News. That was, of course, until the Detroit Lions and Los Angeles Rams pulled off one of the all-time blockbuster deals on Saturday.
Sean McVay and the Rams secured their franchise quarterback in Matthew Stafford, while the Lions took on a king’s ransom in the form of two first-round picks, a third-round pick and a 26-year-old quarterback in Jared Goff (albeit with a fully-guaranteed $43.325 million price tag attached through 2022).
On the surface, none of these moves had a direct impact on the New York Football Giants. Yet, indirectly, it could prove to pay huge dividends for Big Blue.
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Giants Strengthen Chances of Adding Kenny Golladay & Leonard Floyd?
It’s certainly plausible.
Following the trade, NJ.com’s Art Stapleton took to Twitter to shed light on the fallout that could occur from the move, namely how it may affect New York’s fate of securing two players the Giants have been readily linked to.
“The Rams-Lions blockbuster could affect Giants with fate of potential free agent targets Kenny Golladay in Detroit and Leonard Floyd in LA now up in the air even more so,” Stapleton wrote.
“Rams are going to be shedding contracts, presumably, so not sure they’ll be able to pay Floyd,” he added. “And there’s no guarantee Golladay would want to re-sign in Detroit, and they might not look to franchise now that the rebuild is on in spades.”
If for nothing else, the fact that Stafford didn’t wind up in the NFC East is a win for the Giants. According to The Athletic’s Ben Standig, Washington made a “significant offer” to Detroit in hopes of landing the former No. 1 overall pick.
However, if it also coincides with the strengthening of both Golladay and Floyd hitting the open market, the Giants won’t be complaining.
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Giants Free Agent Outlook: Golladay & Floyd
Golladay is part of an absolutely loaded 2021 free agency class at wideout that consists of the likes of Chris Godwin and Allen Robinson, amongst others. Yet, Golladay is the player most readily linked to the Giants.
A big reason for that is reports of New York inquiring about Golladay during this past season’s trade deadline. Another major reason is his production and size.
For starters, Golladay is not another sub-6-foot-tall receiver, which is already a win for a rather minuscule-sized Giants receiving corps. He’s also a big-time red-zone threat, collecting an NFL-leading 11 receiving touchdowns in 2019. While the former third-round pick was limited to just five games in 2020 due to a strained hip flexor muscle, the 27-year-old had missed a total of just three games over the two years prior.
As for Floyd, the former Bears’ top-10 pick was a favorite to land with the Giants in the 2016 NFL Draft. That is, until New York seemingly choreographed their draft plans for the world to see, leading to Chicago trading ahead of them to secure Floyd’s services.
Despite his lofty draft status, Floyd failed to flaunt his all-world traits in the Windy City. However, a change of scenery in 2020 quickly changed the former Georgia Bulldog’s career outlook. Inking a one-year deal with the Rams this past free agency, Floyd posted a career-high 10.5 sacks, just one sack fewer than he had accumulated over his three previous seasons combined.
While financial fallout from the Stafford blockbuster may ultimately hurt the chances of either Floyd or Golladay returning to their current teams, there’s no guarantee they will find their way to East Rutherford. Although chances are they will find themselves near the top of Big Blue’s wish list.
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