All of the offseason hype the NFL media has to give couldn't cover up some of the New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen's most glaring mistakes. While Schoen has made some savvy moves in recent years, he's still paying for some of his most egregious misses.
When the Giants signed Darius Slayton to a three-year, $36 million contract last offseason, fans immediately knew that the team would live to regret it. The move felt desperate, and while $12 million per year is nothing crazy for an NFL wideout, Slayton hadn't shown that he was worth the contract.
Just over one year later, the veteran receiver's contract is already more of a burden than we initially thought it would be.
Darius Slayton's $36 million Giants contract couldn't look much worse
Slayton has been alarmingly inconsistent over the last two seasons. Per PFF, he dropped 15.2% of his catchable targets in 2024 and 14% in 2025. Both marks were among the five worst rates in the NFL.
Dan Duggan of The Athletic even suggested that Slayton has developed a case of the 'yips' in recent years.
The veteran receiver has been unable to prove himself as a reliable target, and his role in the offense has been diminished as a result. His total targets have decreased in three consecutive seasons. Even without Malik Nabers on the field in 2025, Slayton couldn't take over as the top target in the offense.
With Nabers still recovering from his ACL injury, the Giants clearly didn't feel comfortable relying on Slayton to pick up the slack. They added a major haul of receivers this offseason, focusing on reliable veterans who could raise the floor of the unit. Slayton will still likely be a starter at the beginning of the year, but his role should shrink once again.
While the veteran receiver's contract is already a clear mistake, the Giants likely can't move on from it quite yet. Per Spotrac, New York would take on a $15.75 million dead cap hit if Slayton were cut this season.
The G-Men can part ways with the underperforming wideout more comfortably in 2027, when cutting him would only incur a $3 million dead cap hit.
It's never a good look when a multi-year contract extension looks this bad this quickly. It's safe to chalk this one up as an early loss for Schoen and the Giants' front office.
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