GIANTS PLAN TO RELEASE WR KENNY GOLLADAY
The New York Giants plan on releasing WR Kenny Golladay on the first day of the league year, on March 15th, as per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. By waiting until March 15th, the Giants will save $6.7 million against the salary cap. Golladay is guaranteed $4.5 million from the Giants this season.
After just two years with Big Blue, Golladay is expected to once again hit the open market. A big red-zone target and contested-catch aficionado, Golladay put up 3,068 receiving yards and 21 touchdowns in four seasons in Detroit, but failed to replicate those numbers in New York.
The former Northern Illinois Husky made just 37 catches out of 76 targets for 521 receiving yards and no touchdowns in 2021 before making just six catches for 81 receiving yards and one touchdown in 2022. Golladay started just four of his 12 games played last year.
Having signed a lucrative four-year, $72 million deal upon joining the Giants in 2021, Golladay’s return on investment for New York was appalling as the former Pro Bowler couldn’t stay healthy enough to have an impact on the field.
BUCCANEERS PLAN TO RELEASE RB LEONARD FOURNETTE
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers also plan on releasing Super Bowl LV-winning running back Leonard Fournette on March 15th, as per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. By waiting until then, Tampa Bay can apply for a post-June 1st designation, saving them $1.5 million on this year’s salary cap. General Manager Jason Licht said hours before the news of Fournette’s imminent release that he felt Fournette was still a three-down back in this league. Fournette is on the right side of 30 at only 28 years old.
The former Jacksonville Jaguars running back told the Tampa Bay Times that he requested to be released by the Buccaneers following the 2022 season. “I asked after the season [to be released] and they respected my wishes,” Fournette said. “So no bad blood.”
Fournette is reportedly looking for a fresh start and wants to compete for another Super Bowl admitting to the Times that Brady’s retirement played a factor in his decision. “Winning is everything,” said Fournette. “That’s all. And in my last three years here, that’s all we’ve done. But since my guy [Brady] left, that’s why I came, so my time here was up.”
After a stellar 2020 campaign in which played a pivotal role in helping the Bucs win their second Super Bowl in franchise history, Fournette had a mediocre 2021 season and a “down” year in 2022 to say the least. Of 55 running backs that had at least 75 rushing attempts last year, Fournette ranked last in both yards per carry (3.5) and yards after contact per rush (2.3). He also ranked 52nd in percentage of runs with 15+ yards (1.6%) and 50th in percentage of runs with 10+ yards (7.4%).
Fournette has $2 million fully guaranteed left on his contract and another $2 million would have become fully guaranteed on March 19th. Instead, ‘Playoff Lenny’ will be a free agent after the new league year begins, a move that will allow Tampa Bay to spread out the cap hit. As it stands, Tampa Bay is $56.5 million over the cap, according to OverTheCap.
FALCONS RELEASE QB MARCUS MARIOTA
In other news, the Atlanta Falcons announced on Tuesday that they have released quarterback Marcus Mariota.
Mariota signed with the Falcons on a two-year deal last offseason. The move saves Atlanta roughly $12 million against the cap and considering Mariota’s $2.5 million dead money hit, the move would bring the Falcons’ total cap space to over $65 million, making the Falcons the team with the second-most cap space in the league.
Mariota was named starter prior to the 2022 season and played the first 13 games for the Atlanta Falcons, producing a 5-8 record. The 29-year-old threw for 2,219 passing yards, 15 touchdowns and 9 interceptions, while adding 438 yards and 4 touchdowns on the ground. With Mariota, Cordarelle Patterson, Tyler Allgeier and Caleb Huntley, the Falcons morphed into one of the best running teams in the league throughout 2022, ranking third overall and putting up an impressive 2,718 rushing yards.
Mariota would then be placed on injured reserve coming out of the Falcons bye week in Week 14, and his role as starter would then be taken over by former Cincinnati Wildcat, Desmond Ridder, who played the last four games of the season.
Ridder, a third-round pick from last year, will now head into the 2023 offseason as the Falcons’ QB1, although Falcons head coach Arthur Smith stopped short of naming him the starter for 2023. “I do think, Des’ future is bright,” Smith said ahead of the combine this week. “We’re not naming any starts now. There are lot of things that can happen… As always, all options are on the table. Anything that we can do to improve this team and help us win – and to ultimately win championships – that’s what we’re looking for.”
The Falcons, however, still have options and could add a veteran quarterback via trade or free agency, and could still select a quarterback once the draft rolls around in April.
-Maher Abucheri
Twitter: @pabloikonyero
Photo: All-Pro Reels. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.