The New York Giants aren’t exactly known for keeping their homegrown talent, but they finally bucked the trend. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Giants have agreed to a three-year, $36 million deal with Darius Slayton, keeping the six-year veteran in blue for at least three more seasons.
For once, Joe Schoen didn’t let one of his best free agents (of this offseason) walk for nothing. That alone is progress. Slayton may not be a star, but he’s been the closest thing to a reliable playmaker in the Giants’ never-ending game of wide receiver roulette. More importantly, he’s one of the few homegrown guys left in a locker room that has seen way too many key contributors leave without replacement.
Schoen has not been known for retaining his own free agents. That’s only come back to bite him… just a lotta bit. It’s been a recurring theme in the Schoen school of negotiating (or lack thereof) to let New York’s top free agents leave, only to watch them get paid and thrive elsewhere.
Just last offseason, Saquon Barkley, Julian Love, and Xavier McKinney all walked out the door for bigger paydays. Apparently, watching those guys ball out elsewhere has made Schoen rethink his stance on letting everyone with leverage pack their bags.
NY Giants are wisely bringing Darius Slayton back
As much as this isn’t the splashy move fans wanted, Schoen had to bring Slayton back—not just for his production, but for the message it sends.
Letting him walk would have been an awful look. Players notice when a team refuses to pay its own, and losing Slayton for nothing would have reinforced the narrative that the Giants will cut you loose the second you ask for a raise.
And let’s be real—is $12 million per year a little rich for a guy who’s never cracked 800 receiving yards? Maybe. But losing him for nothing would have been worse.
Slayton is a veteran presence and a valuable mentor for soon-to-be second-year superstar Malik Nabers. Like it or not, he’s been the Giants’ most dependable receiver in an offense that hasn’t exactly made life easy for its pass-catchers.
His career numbers—259 receptions, 3,897 yards, 21 touchdowns—aren’t flashy, but in a position group that’s been a disaster for years, they matter.
With Nabers, Wan’Dale Robinson, and Slayton locked in, the Giants at least have stability at receiver. And if they’re as "a quarterback away" as they claimed last season, it’s time to prove it.
So yeah, maybe Schoen overpaid a little. But at least this time, he paid one of his own. That’s a step in the right direction.