Darius Slayton, the former Giants receiver and longest tenured player on the team, has been cut by New York. There are reasons, as drastic as this cut seems- but the main question that will follow the Giants throughout this season is if they should’ve hung on to Slayton, who despite being with the team for seven seasons is still only 29 years old. He produced 538 receiving yards and 1 TD last season, and has contributed 296 receptions to go with 4,435 receiving yards during his time with the Giants. Ultimately, John Harbaugh and Joe Schoen decided to get out of Slayton’s contract that was given to him last year. When the news was announced that he had been released, there were probably two thoughts that went through Giants fans’ minds: “Finally!” or “What are we doing?” Both are acceptable, as Slayton was a polarizing figure throughout his time, not for off-field issues but for the staggering amounts of drops: 26, which is good for 12th in the NFL from 2019 until 2026.
One other reason Slayton was cut was due to the fact that we attempted to trade him, shopping him around in the hopes that another NFL team would take his contract off our hands. The strategy worked out with offensive linemen Daniel Faalele and Joshua Ezeudu, who were traded for 6th and 7th round picks from the Jaguars and Chiefs, respectively. (The 7th round pick the Giants got from the Chiefs was flipped to the Ravens for DL C.J Okoye.) However, no one was interested in Slayton, leaving the franchise with a tough decision. I do think that if the team hadn’t been confident of Nabers’ availability to play sometime in the next two weeks, they would’ve held on to Slayton, but Malik Nabers’ imminent return and the progress he has made on his path back from that devastating ACL tear was something they felt good about, and as a result led them to make the tough decision to pull the trigger on Darius Slayton. However, he is ranked 12th in receiving yards all time for the Giants franchise, just behind Victor Cruz, making most fans wonder: Who will replace his receiving production for this season? With receivers Malik Nabers questionable and Calvin Austin lll out for the season with a torn ACL, who’s going to fill the void?
Enter WR Malachi Fields, the rookie New York selected in the third round of the 2026 draft. He made his presence felt in the first Giants preseason game, grabbing 3 passes for 34 yards and a TD. With Nabers questionable and Slayton out of the picture, Fields should be ready to start or play a significant amount of time for the Sunday Night Football matchup against the Cowboys for Week 1 of the NFL season. Another option the Giants have who they acquired in free agency is Darnell Mooney. The front office had hoped he would primarily play outside receiver. However, with Austin out and Fields slated to be another outside or “X” receiver, Mooney will likely move to the slot, where he’ll be able to exploit mismatches on smaller nickel corners and be a reliable safety valve for Jaxson Dart. Odell Beckham Jr. is also on the roster, although it’s unclear how much he’ll be able to contribute. Isaiah Likely, the free agent tight end who the Giants gave a 3 year, 40 million dollar contract, is also expected to garner a significant amount of targets throughout the season. The Giants have surrounded Dart with weapons, and this group will be even more productive when Nabers is finally ready to go. Harbaugh has been adamant about not releasing any injury news to the media to maintain a competitive advantage, but by all reports, Nabers is trending towards making a Week 1 debut. Slayton’s release left a roster spot open, which the Giants have communicated is going to be filled by Braxton Berrios. He was signed to the practice squad after not making the active roster, but the Giants are looking to elevate him come gameday.
At the end of the day, John Harbaugh and Joe Schoen had to make a business decision. If Slayton had been cut on September 8th as opposed to the 7th, the Giants would have had to pay him a roster bonus which would’ve totaled more than $3 million. Now that they cut him, the move frees up that 3 million dollars in cap space, which gives them more flexibility for next season. Hindsight is always 20/20, and it remains to be seen if the course of the season will be favorable towards this decision. For now, optimism is soaring in East Rutherford as the New York Giants look forward to their Sunday Night Football home opener against the Dallas Cowboys at 8:20 p.m. Kickoff is just around the corner, and this game will kick off a brand-new era of New York Giants Football!
My name is Chris Jelinski. I’m a sophomore and I play wide receiver for my high school football team. I have a really strong passion for writing and sports. My favorite football team is the New York Giants and I also follow the Knicks and the Yankees. In my free time, I like to read, bake, and spend time with my family.
0 Comments