The New York Giants were without veteran wide receiver Darius Slayton a few weeks ago when they began their voluntary offseason workouts. Slayton was reportedly holding out in hopes of a contract extension.
During the Gridiron Gala on Wednesday night, Slayton spoke to reporters about his contract situation and expressed confidence that the matter will be resolved sooner rather than later.
Darius Slayton is confident his contract will be resolved soon
Currently, Slayton is finishing out a two-year, $12 million contract that he signed last offseason. Entering the final year of his deal in 2024, Slayton is hoping to see his contract extended to secure his long-term future with the organization.
Slayton’s cap number for the 2024 season comes in at $8.15 million. His contract ranks 42 out of 319 wide receivers, according to Over The Cap. Considering Slayton has led the Giants in receiving in four of the past five years, his contract signals he is significantly undervalued.
As a result, Slayton is holding out in hopes of a new deal, which he is confident he will get soon:
“Right now, my agent [Michael Perrett] and [general manager] Joe [Schoen], they’re in negotiations. They’re talking,” Slayton said per Jordan Raanan of ESPN. “Hopefully we’ll come to a resolution here soon.”
How soon might a deal get done? Could the negotiations last until training camp in the summer? Slayton doesn’t think that will happen and is hopeful this matter gets resolved sooner rather than later.
“I don’t think it will get to that point,” Slayton said. “Like I said, it’s been good, constant communication throughout the whole process. It’ll be resolved soon.”
Are the Giants planning to extend Slayton?
While Slayton may be confident that a resolution is forthcoming, the Giants have not seemed eager to meet the wide receiver’s requests just yet. Granted, the front office was a bit preoccupied with the NFL Draft. But general manager Joe Schoen did clarify that the team’s first-round draft choice, Malik Nabers, would not affect Slayton’s situation:
“We already paid a roster bonus,” Schoen said, per Raanan. “He had one that kicked in the fifth day of the league year, and you look at the P5 [base salary], where that is and you want to look at the production from last year to this year and you take all of those things into account. Us drafting Malik Nabers doesn’t affect where we are on that.”
Nabers is projected to be the Giants’ new primary wide receiver, potentially diminishing Slayton’s role in the offense. However, Slayton’s production will not be easily replaced and he could be viewed as the ideal second wideout. The Giants would be wise to extend Slayton or adjust his contract in order to keep him on the field in 2024.