Darius Slayton’s $36 million contract may not save him as Giants face brutal decision after seven years
The longest-tenured player on the Giants suddenly finds himself fighting for something that once seemed almost guaranteed
For seven seasons, Darius Slayton survived just about every kind of change the New York Giants could throw at him. Different quarterbacks, different coaches, losing seasons, playoff football and even previous battles for his own roster spot. Through all of it, the wide receiver remained.
Now, with a $36 million contract and more time in a Giants uniform than anyone else currently on the roster, Slayton could be approaching the end of his run in New York.
The Giants are reportedly seriously considering releasing the 29-year-old as they prepare to trim their roster to 53 players by Sunday's 6 p.m. ET deadline . And perhaps the most telling sign came Friday night against the Jets. While John Harbaugh protected most players whose jobs appeared secure , Slayton started and remained on the field deep into the preseason finale, playing 33 offensive snaps even after Jameis Winston gave way to third-string quarterback Brandon Allen. He finished the night without a catch or even a target.
After seven years, Slayton could be playing his final days as a Giant
That would have been difficult to imagine when Slayton signed a three-year, $36 million deal to remain with New York last year. But money may not be enough to protect him. He is due more than $12 million in salary this season, with $9.75 million fully guaranteed, and releasing him would leave the Giants carrying roughly $12.75 million in dead money for 2026. New York would save only around $3.2 million in cap space.
Slayton underwent sports hernia surgery after catching only 37 passes in 14 games last season and has not consistently looked like his old self this summer. There was a glimpse of it against Miami, when he caught four passes for 58 yards and finally produced the kind of performance Harbaugh said he “needed to see.” But one week later, Slayton played extensive snaps against the Jets and disappeared from the stat sheet.
And then there is Odell Beckham Jr. On the same night Slayton went without a target, Beckham also played 33 snaps but caught three passes for 53 yards and continued making his own case to survive the final cuts.
Harbaugh said afterward that Beckham had done enough to make “an NFL roster,” stopping short of promising that roster would be New York's. The season-ending ACL injury suffered by Calvin Austin III created another opening in a suddenly complicated receiver room, but it still may not be enough to guarantee Slayton's place.
Slayton has spent his entire NFL career in New York. The Giants drafted him in the fifth round in 2019, and seven years later he has played 106 games and made 78 starts for the team. No player currently on the roster has been a Giant longer. Just last year, the team gave him a new three-year, $36 million contract. Now, less than 18 months later, he is waiting to find out if his time in New York is over. The Giants have until Sunday evening to make that decision.
