Injuries are an unfortunate but very real part of life in the NFL; New York Giants fans know that better than anyone. But rarely in the past few years have the G-Men been in a position to potentially help out another team that is being stymied by ailments or key absences; that would require a talent surplus.
But the Giants retooled their wide receiver corps in a major way this offseason after losing Wan'Dale Robinson in free agency, adding solid players like Darnell Mooney, Calvin Austin III, Braxton Berrios and Malachi Fields. Alongside Malik Nabers, that is plenty to feel good about in New York.
So, when the Houston Texans lost stud wideout Jayden Higgins for the year due to a torn ACL in joint practice with the Las Vegas Raiders on Tuesday, it got us thinking about how the Giants could be of assistance to them in one of the only departments that they can afford to offer a helping hand.
And while the lowest-hanging fruit in this scenario would be Berrios, who presumably still has a relationship with Texans GM Nick Caserio after playing in Houston last season, Mooney may actually make more sense. Plus, it sounds like he is more coveted.
Giants could send Darnell Mooney to the Texans after Jayden Higgens' injury
Mooney arrived in New York on a fully guaranteed one-year, $3 million deal. Surely, Joe Schoen would be willing to part with that small of an investment. And USA Today's Art Stapleton noted that teams around the league have checked in about trading for Mooney, so it makes a lot of sense.
Plus, Berrios has enjoyed a strong training camp with the Giants, and John Harbaugh would be remiss if he parted with a special teams ace. Never say never, I suppose, as Harbaugh did just part with his beloved Daniel Faalele. But I digress.
In a general sense, a player whose calling card is strong special teams play, like Berrios, is more of a dime-a-dozen than someone like Mooney, who was just eight yards short of a 1,000-yard campaign in 2024. For what Higgins does for the Texans' offense, Mooney is more of a clear replacement.
Higgins wasn't a return specialist or operating mainly out of the slot, to be concise.
Some fans may question why the Giants would even consider getting rid of Mooney at this stage. The answer to that is simple: Mooney may ultimately mean more to a Texans team in a contending window than to a New York team with several other suitable options out wide that is still trying to grow.
Yes, with Harbaugh comes an expectation of competing right away, but is Mooney really a central figure in that? Nabers, Darius Slayton and Austin III will be the starters, Berrios sticks around because of special teams, and Fields is the piece worth developing. Maybe Odell Beckham Jr. sticks for vibes.
Mooney could absolutely be a contributing piece to this offense. But he's on a cheap one-year deal, so Schoen would be a fool not to at least consider a trade package that nets at least a mid-Day-3 pick. It sounds like there is at least some interest on that front.
And now there may be an obvious trade partner in Houston, who surely wants a pass-catching addition, not the guy that they just let walk a few months ago.
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