Giants WR Darius Slayton Projected as Good Free-agency Fit for These Teams

Darius Slayton has more than likely played his final game with the New York Giants.

Dec 29, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants wide receiver Darius Slayton (86) celebrates after scoring a touchdown reception during the first half against the Indianapolis Colts at MetLife Stadium. / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

The last time New York Giants receiver Darius Slayton was about to hit free agency, he decided to forgo offers from other teams so he could return to the Giants to help them continue building what they had started under head coach Brian Daboll.

Nine wins and 25 losses later, things might have changed for the Giants’ longest-tenured receiver. 

Between Slayton not getting a contract extension this past year after staying away from the team during its offseason program and OTAs last year, plus the uncertainty at quarterback, it wouldn’t be surprising if Slayton is ready to pick up his roots and go to another team where he can be a part of another program under construction.

That’s why it’s no surprise that Mason Cameron of Pro Football Focus has Slayton, ranked as the popular analytics site’s 38th top free-agent-to-be, going out west to either the Las Vegas Raiders or Arizona Cardinals in free agency. 

“Shaky quarterback and offensive line play limited Slayton's production as a deep target during his time in New York,” Cameron wrote of his pairing Slayton with the Raiders. 

“Las Vegas is set to fully rebuild, and a sizable cap allowance allows them to address those very same issues at quarterback this offseason. Bringing in a dynamic, big-play threat like Slayton would be a nice piece to a solid free-agent class, should the Raiders miss out on the top targets.”

Based on that argument alone, Las Vegas isn’t in any better shape quarterback-wise than the Giants, who hold a higher draft pick and might have a shot at landing either Shedeur Sanders or Cam Ward in the draft. 

But again, given how Giants general manager Joe Schoen wasn’t willing to extend Slayton’s contract even after the receiver finished as the team’s receiving yardage leader in four of his first five seasons, there could be some hard feelings on the receiver’s behalf to where a fresh start would be in his best interest.

As far as the Cardinals go, Cameron wrote, “The Cardinals‘ offense houses two of the NFL’s brightest young stars in Marvin Harrison Jr. and Trey McBride. General manager Monti Ossenfort holds significant cap space and may be poised to take advantage of bringing in a veteran receiver like Slayton to maximize this offense’s big-play potential, having ranked 26th in explosive passes generated this past season.”

If Slayton is looking for a bigger payday similar to his market value as projected by Spotrac, he might not want to go to a team where he would play second fiddle in the receiving game.

Then again, Slayton, the Giants 2024 George Young/Ernie Accorsi Good Guy award winner, has never been known as a primadonna when it comes to doing what his team asks of him.

Except maybe in this case, if Giants general manager Joe Schoen tries to reason with him about re-signing as a veteran in an otherwise young receivers room.

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