The New York Giants will look to add talent to their offense this offseason after the unit ranked as the 31st-scoring offense in the league last season. However, they’re also set to lose some of their firepower with veteran wide receiver Darius Slayton set to become an unrestricted free agent.
While there is still a chance Slayton re-signs with Big Blue, that outcome doesn’t seem to be the most likely. Slayton requested an extension last offseason, which the Giants declined to offer. He then asked for a raise, which New York also rebuffed, instead handing him some lofty incentive goals in his contract. Now, despite the Giants not valuing Slayton enough to extend him last offseason, he could be one of the top wide receivers on the open market.
Darius Slayton was named one of the most underrated free agents this offseason
Zoltán Buday of Pro Football Focus recently listed one underrated 2025 NFL free agent at every offensive position. He selected Slayton as the offseason’s most underrated free-agent wide receiver:
“Even though the Giants kept drafting and signing wide receivers, Slayton never got phased out of New York’s offense and always earned an opportunity for himself,” Buday said of Slayton. “The former fifth-round pick has played at least 500 snaps in all six of his NFL seasons, including more than 800 in three of the past four years. Admittedly, he had one of his worst seasons in a contract year, although bad quarterback play was the main culprit.
“Before this past season, Slayton proved time and again that he can be one of the better WR3s in the league — or even a WR2. His 15.6 receiving yards per reception over 2022 and 2023 ranked 11th among 105 qualifying receivers, while his 1.46 receiving yards per route run placed him 48th at the position.”
The Giants are moving forward with Malik Nabers as the leading star of their offense. Working alongside him in the receiving corps will be Wan’Dale Robinson, who is entering the final year of his rookie contract. If Slayton does, indeed, depart, then the Giants will need to add more talent to the position group or bank on Jalin Hyatt taking a major leap in his third season.
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Should the Giants extend Slayton?
Perhaps the Giants are overlooking and undervaluing Slayton. After all, he has led Big Blue in receiving yards in four of the last six seasons. His production dropped in 2024, due in large part to the emergence of rookie superstar Malik Nabers and the Giants’ struggles at the quarterback position.
Spotrac projects a market value for Slayton around $15.8 million in average annual salary. They project his value at a three-year, $47 million price tag. For the Giants, this figure is reachable, but might price Slayton out of their budget.
The Giants have only $43 million in cap space this offseason, per Over The Cap. It might be hard for them to justify spending nearly $16 million of their limited cap space on a wide receiver who regressed last season, totaling only 573 yards and two touchdowns. The Giants are expected to be in the market for a significant weapon this offseason and will likely go in a new direction to upgrade their offense.
