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NFL free agency: Giants get Kenny Golladay, seen as best wide receiver on the market

Eagles cornerback Darius Slay is familiar with Golladay, as the two spent three seasons together in Detroit.

In this Oct. 18, 2020, file photo, Detroit Lions wide receiver Kenny Golladay celebrates a reception during the second half against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
In this Oct. 18, 2020, file photo, Detroit Lions wide receiver Kenny Golladay celebrates a reception during the second half against the Jacksonville Jaguars.Read morePhelan M. Ebenhack

The Eagles’ need for another outside cornerback just got a bit more pressing.

The New York Giants had been on the inside track to land Kenny Golladay, arguably the best receiver in this year’s free-agency class, and finally got their guy Saturday. Golladay, 27, will sign a four-year, $72 million contract to join the Giants, the NFL Network reported.

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The Giants have been one of the most active teams in free agency this offseason. New York signed veteran tight end Kyle Rudolph and speedy wide receiver John Ross earlier in free agency, but landed a true X receiver to pose a significant threat opposite third-year wideout Darius Slay. Golladay, a third-round pick out of Northern Illinois in 2017, spent his first four seasons in the league with the Detroit Lions.

He played in just five games last year because of a hip injury but is considered one of the league’s best at pulling off contested catches downfield. Now, he’ll be paid accordingly at $18 million a year, which will tie Odell Beckham Jr. and Tyreek Hill for the eighth-highest annual salary for a receiver.

Eagles cornerback Darius Slay is familiar with Golladay, as the two spent three seasons together in Detroit. Slay actually predicted that his former teammate would be headed to New York on Friday during an interview on former NFL punter Pat McAfee’s show on Sirius XM. Slay could have been privy to some inside information, but Golladay had been visiting with the Giants for the last two days and it seemed likely all along he’d end up paired with Giants quarterback Daniel Jones.

After the deal was reported, Slay tweeted congratulations to Golladay, pointing out the two would be able to play against each other twice a year.

Slay may be eagerly awaiting his matchups with Golladay, but the Giants receiving corps now gives the Eagles one more reason to look hard at their cast of cornerbacks. Slay figures to hold down one side of the field the way he did last season, but the corner spot opposite Slay was often a problem area for the team, especially as injuries piled up.

The Eagles officially announced the addition of safety Anthony Harris on Saturday, the day after the one-year, $5 million deal was first reported, but cornerback will still be a need unless the team has faith in Avonte Maddox, Kevon Seymour, or Michael Jacquet to handle the spot.