Alexander Wilson
The New York Giants face a precarious situation at wide receiver heading into free agency. Wan’Dale Robinson is expected to command $15-20 million per year after his breakout season, Malik Nabers is recovering from a torn ACL, and Darius Slayton is coming off a disappointing year at age 29.
The Athletic’s Dan Duggan believes the Giants must address the position in free agency. “I think they have to make some sort of investment in free agency to get a guy in here just starting caliber wide receiver,” Duggan said on the Fireside Giants podcast. “We just need capable NFL wide receivers.”
The Wan’Dale Robinson Dilemma
Robinson posted career highs in 2025: 92 receptions for 1,014 yards and four touchdowns. He became the first receiver 5-foot-8 or smaller to surpass 1,000 yards since 1990.
Pro Football Focus projects a three-year, $63 million contract. Spotrac has his market value at roughly $17.5 million per year. The Tennessee Titans are reportedly showing significant interest, with former Giants head coach Brian Daboll on staff there.
Duggan sees Robinson’s departure coming. “You’re going to take away the guy who was the most productive receiver, really the most productive offensive player,” he said. “That’s a little tough to swallow.”
The Malik Nabers Uncertainty
The Giants can’t assume Nabers returns to his rookie form. He tore his ACL in Week 4 and is trending to hopefully be ready for training camp, according to GM Joe Schoen.
Duggan stressed this point. “It’s a unique situation because you do have Nabers coming back,” he said. “But you don’t know exactly where he’s going to be. You can’t just stand pat, ‘okay, we have Nabers’ because you don’t have Nabers right now. You hope he’s that, you can believe he’s going to be that, you can’t prepare as if that’s a lock solid guarantee.”
Before the injury, Nabers had 18 receptions for 271 yards in four games. ACL recoveries are unpredictable, especially for players whose game relies on cutting and acceleration. The Giants need contingency plans.
The Darius Slayton Problem
Slayton is returning on a $16 million cap hit despite a concerning 2025 performance. Duggan didn’t pull punches when discussing Slayton’s situation.
“You have Slayton who’s going to count $16 million against the cap, which is funny because all of us made that point about how we can agree with the move in the moment and then kill it when it doesn’t work out,” Duggan said. “Like I think we were all saying, yeah, bring Slayton back last year. And then it’s like, okay, that didn’t work out so well. And now maybe he bounces back.”
Slayton is only 29, which means he theoretically shouldn’t be washed yet. But his 2025 season raised legitimate questions about whether he can still be a reliable second option. “Certainly it was a kind of concerning performance from him last year, but he’s still there,” Duggan noted.
The Giants are stuck with Slayton’s contract, which means they can’t count on him as a sure thing but also can’t easily move on. It’s an uncomfortable middle ground that forces them to add depth regardless.
The Free Agency Approach
Duggan doesn’t expect the Giants to break the bank. “I certainly think the draft, I don’t think they’re taking a wide receiver number five,” he said. “Now maybe 37 is a sweet spot.”
The Giants sent their 2026 third-rounder to Houston in the Jaxson Dart trade. “I don’t know if I’d love the idea of going linebacker, wide receiver, and just not touching the trenches till day three of the draft,” Duggan said.
Mike Evans has been floated as a possibility, though Duggan questioned whether it makes sense. “The most appealing thing to him, a guy at his stage of his career, I’m sure wants to go to a contender.”
More realistic targets include Darnell Mooney and Tyquan Thornton. “You mentioned Darnell Mooney, there’s Tyquan Thornton who was with Nagy in Kansas City,” Duggan said. “They’re not going to excite the fan base. We just need capable NFL wide receivers.”
The Depth Problem
Even if Nabers returns healthy and the Giants add a mid-tier free agent, they still lack depth. Duggan pointed out this could actually be a good problem to have if everything breaks right.
“So if it ends up being Tyreek Thornton is WR4 because you have Nabers, you have Slayton and you drafted some kid in the second round who hits the ground running, that’s again, good problem to have,” he said. “The Giants have never seemed to have depth there, so that’s not a problem you have to worry about encountering because it’s never seemed to have depth.”
The reality is the Giants haven’t had true wide receiver depth in years. If they somehow end up with too many capable receivers, Duggan’s right: that’s a luxury problem they’d gladly accept.
The Investment Level Question
Duggan compared the wide receiver situation to linebacker. “I think wide receiver, they sneakily need to address it, but I don’t think they’re going to make a huge investment because you kind of already have,” he said, referring to Nabers’ draft capital.
Nabers will be extension-eligible after next season. The Giants invested a top-10 pick in him and will soon invest a massive extension. They can’t also invest $17 million per year in Robinson. The math doesn’t work.
This is why Duggan expects a “lower level” investment. “I think it’s a priority, a little lower version of inside linebacker, which is dire,” he said. “I think wide receiver, they certainly have to make some level of investment because that position is pretty unsettled right now.”
The Giants can’t assume Nabers is back to 100%, can’t bank on Slayton bouncing back, and almost certainly can’t afford Robinson. That’s three major question marks where Jaxson Dart desperately needs weapons. Free agency will provide answers, but don’t expect fireworks. Expect competence, depth, and contingency plans.
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