Kenny Golladay shows up for Giants minicamp, Kadarius Toney does not

Kenny Golladay doesn’t have to be here. No one does.

These are voluntary workouts during the offseason program, which means that even during the three-day minicamp the Giants are holding this week, an extra benefit granted them and others who qualify by virtue of having a new head coach, players are not required to attend.

So why was Golladay out on the field Wednesday morning running routes for passes from Daniel Jones when he could have literally been anywhere else in the world?

“I guess you could say that’s how much it means to me,” he said. “Especially coming off of last season.”

Ah, yes. Last season. The one when the Giants added two wide receivers they thought would be able to ignite their offense and then, because they missed so much time because of injuries and other issues, combined for zero touchdowns among them. The one Golladay said he “flushed” as soon as it was over and then, when the coaching staff was turned over, “definitely flushed” from his memory. That two-flush season.

Well, one of those two additions from last offseason seems intent on doing something about it and his presence is an indication of the sincerity in that desire. The other one, not so much.

First-round pick Kadarius Toney has yet to even show up to receive his playbook from Brian Daboll.

“When he gets here, he'll get the playbook, we'll get him up to speed,” Daboll said.

Again, these are voluntary workouts, so coaches and executives who so much as suggest a player ought to be in attendance invoke the immediate wrath of the NFLPA. It’s why neither Daboll nor general manager Joe Schoen was overly critical of Toney’s absence. All they could do publicly was shrug it off with Schoen noting he was not asked about any other players who were not at the minicamp – “Life happens,” he added -- and Daboll calling it “the nature of the rules.”

But you know who can exert pressure on players to come to these workouts? Other players.

That’s what Golladay did.

“I feel like everyone should definitely be here,” he said.

Especially someone like Toney, whose lack of production as a rookie was always pinned to the time he wasn’t on the field during the minicamps and in training camp. He never quite caught up from those missed opportunities. Now, with a chance to start over, he’s already falling behind once again.

Golladay said he hasn’t spoken much to Toney this offseason, which in itself seems oddly out of place for a franchise that is trying to stress the importance of relationships and unity as it builds a new culture.

“I’ve been trying to get everything for myself in order as far as learning the playbook and a lot has been on my plate a little bit,” Golladay said of the lack of communication. “But I’ll talk to [fellow veteran wide receiver Sterling Shepard] and we’ll kind of holler at him a little bit. I feel like he’ll definitely listen to us.”

Perhaps. Or perhaps the reason Toney isn’t in East Rutherford this week is the exact opposite of the reason Golladay is.

Maybe it doesn’t mean that much to him.

There is a chance Toney has a good reason to be away, which will be revealed at some later date. His track record with the team since he was drafted last April, though, suggests otherwise.

There are still about five months until the regular season opens, so why the big deal? It may not be. But it’s just another bad look for a player who has cloaked himself in a closet full of them over the past year.

Golladay wants to overwrite the flop that 2021 turned out to be for himself and return to the production that made him a standout player for the Lions. He said he is “very driven” to improve on the admittedly low standard he set for himself in his first season with the Giants. He is excited by the creativity in the offense he is learning, loved the “chill” vibes that have thus far permeated the team, and is even excited to be back working with the quarterback who has yet to get him into the end zone.

“This is me and DJs first time to get a legit offseason going on,” Golladay said of getting to work with Jones. “Me coming in in free agency [last year] I had a lot of moving parts going around. There was COVID and everything. We didn’t go through OTAs. I feel like this piece right here, going through OTAs, it should be very good.”

All of which makes Toney’s absence all the more conspicuous.

“I feel like the whole team, to be honest, is just trying to start off on a good note,” Golladay said.

Well, almost the whole team.

By Tom Rock

tom.rock@newsday.com@TomRock_Newsday

Tom Rock began covering sports for Newsday in 1996 and became its NFL columnist in 2022. He previously was Newsday's Giants beat writer beginning in 2008.