New York Giants wide receiver Darius Slayton has not reported to voluntary offseason workouts because he is holding out and wants a new contract. Slayton is entering the final year of his deal. It will be interesting to see whether general manager Joe Schoen wants to give him a new deal or not after drafting wide receiver Malik Nabers sixth overall in the 2024 NFL Draft.
On Wednesday night, Slayton was honored at the Gridiron Gala supporting United Way of New York City. He told Jordan Raanan of ESPN about his holdout this offseason by saying:
“I’d like to be here, of course. Obviously I came here just for this event. I’ve enjoyed my time as a Giant and I’d like to remain a Giant. Hopefully that will be the result of this.”
Slayton also told Raanan about the possibility of a contract being handed out before the 2024 season by saying:
“Right now, my agent [Michael Perrett] and [general manager] Joe [Schoen], they’re in negotiations. They’re talking. Hopefully we’ll come to a resolution here soon.”
Slayton is already 27 years old and this is probably the only chance in his NFL career that he can land a reasonable contract for himself. However, will that contract extension be with the New York Giants or Another Team?
The Future Of the New York Giants Could Be Without Darius Slayton
Slayton says that he wants to be with the Giants for the long haul, but will it actually happen? The future top three wide receivers on the roster will be Malik Nabers, Wan’Dale Robinson, and Jalin Hyatt. However, Slayton has a legitimate argument to be one of the top wide receivers on the roster because he led the team in receiving yards in the last four of five seasons.
He caught 50 passes for 770 yards receiving and four touchdowns, along with averaging 15.4 yards per catch. Slayton was targeted 79 times last season. He caught passes from three different quarterbacks and they were Daniel Jones, Tyrod Taylor, and Tommy DeVito.
He has put up very good numbers with inconsistent quarterback play. However, Slayton is more of a number two wide receiver option now than a number one, especially since Malik Nabers is on the roster. If Slayton is still holding out by the time training camp rolls around, it will hurt him more than help him. Wan’Dale Robinson and Jalin Hyatt can very well take his spot if he were to miss time in training camp also.