New York Giants wide receiver Darius Slayton was a hot topic at the NFL trade deadline but general manager Joe Schoen opted to keep him in East Rutherford.
That has been a theme for Slayton over the past several years, often finding himself as the center of trade attention and contract speculation.
This past offseason, Slayton briefly held out while seeking a long-term offer before finally settling on a modified one-year deal with added incentives. He bet on himself, much like running back Saquon Barkley did a year prior, and now it appears to be paying off.
Slayton has 32 receptions for 469 yards and one touchdown in nine games played. His 469 receiving yards are second on the team and his 14.7 yards per reception tops all Giants pass-catchers.
At his current pace, Slayton will finish the season with roughly 834 receiving yards, which is slightly higher than his career average. It’s also a testament to his remarkable consistency.
Marcus Mosher of The 33rd Team believes Slayton is finally playing his way into a big contract; one that many believe is well-deserved.
The 2025 wide receiver class is loaded with big-name players, and it’s one of the deeper classes we’ve seen in recent years.
However, injuries are already a factor. Stefon Diggs (torn ACL) and Chris Godwin (dislocated ankle) suffered season-ending injuries in 2024. Tee Higgins is the top receiver on the market, but he’s missed a good chunk of this season with several lower-body injuries.
Amari Cooper, DeAndre Hopkins, and Keenan Allen are other former No. 1 receivers expected to hit the market. Still, they are all getting older, and most teams don’t like to pay receivers who are already 31 or older. That’s why someone like Darius Slayton could be one of the biggest surprises at the wide receiver position in free agency.
We saw Darnell Mooney earn a nice contract ($13M/year) from the Falcons despite totaling just 414 yards during the 2023 season. Slayton has already surpassed those numbers in 2024, but he brings a similar dynamic as a big-play merchant who can win down the field.
Slayton turns 28 in January, so he’s not the youngest receiver on the market. However, you can expect that teams will be chasing Slayton’s upside with the hope of pairing him with a true No. 1 receiver on a good offense. With Jerry Jeudy earning a $17.5 million contract last offseason, look for Slayton’s numbers to be similar.
Mosher puts Slayton’s projected AAV at $17 million per season, which will likely eliminate him from the Giants’ plans despite their overwhelming respect for him. And with quarterback Daniel Jones also likely to exit East Rutherford, Slayton will be more inclined to seek a deal elsewhere.
If anyone deserves the big payday, it’s Slayton.
