Darius Slayton could be the next giant to find fame elsewhere

You don’t have to be a fortune teller — just a Giants fan who knows Murphy’s Law — to see the future headline now.

“Free-agent steal Darius Slayton has his first career 1,000-yard season after leaving the Giants.”

If things weren’t bad enough at home during a 2-10 slog of a season, it seems like a former Giant is putting on a standout performance somewhere in every NFL television window.

Saquon Barkley is threatening to break the NFL single-season rushing record for the Eagles, Xavier McKinney leads the league in interceptions for the Packers, Julian Love just said Leonard Williams is on par for Defensive Player of the Year after both plays made big in the Seahawks’ win over the Jets at MetLife Stadium, and the list goes on with Evan Engram, Ben Bredeson, Jabrill Peppers and others to a lesser extent.

“They’re all really good football players, so of course they’re going to make their plays,” Slayton said after Monday’s practice. “But we have a lot of skilled football players in this building. If we can just get everyone playing at the level they’re capable of at the same time, then we’ll be fine.”

Slayton has worked with all of these players over his six seasons and is tied with Dexter Lawrence as the longest-tenured Giants. Wouldn’t he expect better results than a 31-63-1 record since 2019 with various combinations of these players?

“You would think so,” Slayton said. “For some reason it didn’t work. We have to find a way to make it work with what we have here now.”

It was a diplomatic leader-like response from Slayton, who may only have five games left in his tenure with the Giants.

He’s headed to free agency for the second time after trying to take advantage of a new contract with the Giants by skipping voluntary spring training sessions, but ultimately settling for increased incentives that ranked second to last in the NFL not reached passing offense.

It’s not hard to imagine an analytical NFL front office with a game-playing quarterback that sees Slayton as having untapped ceiling. His 15 yards per catch in his career ranks fifth among active receivers, behind AJ Brown, Mike Williams, Mike Evans and Justin Jefferson.

“I think I’ve improved every year I’ve been in the NFL,” Slayton said. “Every time the season ends, I think I’m going to go into the offseason and come back a better version of myself for seventh grade. That’s something I’m personally proud of, regardless of my team situation or whatever.”

One of the reasons for Slayton returning to the Giants on a two-year, $12 million contract in 2023 was the appeal of maintaining chemistry with 2019 draft classmate and close friend Daniel Jones.

Learning a new quarterback’s tendencies seems to level the playing field.

The receiver market also surged last offseason, as players with similar career production to Slayton – Gabe Davis (Jaguars) and Darnell Mooney (Falcons) – signed respective three-year, $39 million deals.

Slayton’s value to the Giants this season is teaching rookie Malik Nabers a complex receiver offensive scheme during the week and helping him make adjustments on the field.

“He always did what we asked of him,” head coach Brian Daboll said.

Slayton is a model of consistency and is on pace to have between 46 and 50 catches for the fifth time, just shy of his 17-game career average of 744 receiving yards.

He has spoken in the past about how this is “not an area that I feel reflects what I’m capable of.”

Slayton has played under three head coaches, five offensive linemen and three position coaches, along with nine different quarterbacks, and never in an offense ranked higher than No. 18 in the league. An old beat – seven drops after three career-lows last season – has resurfaced.

“No matter how a season goes in terms of numbers, I judge myself based on my level of play,” said Slayton, “and since becoming a pro, I’ve been able to steadily improve that.”

Whether Giants teammates will support Slayton from afar – perhaps as Jalin Hyatt follows in his footsteps – or whether they will accompany him in the 2025 rebuild is one of the important questions to be answered in the coming offseason.

“We’re all happy for the former teammates and friends in the locker room,” linebacker Micah McFadden said. “But yeah, it’s hard to see. Of course we would have preferred to put everything together while everyone was here.”