If there's one player New York Giants fans have clamoring for general manager Joe Schoen to get rid of over the years, it's Darius Slayton. And just like Schoen, Slayton isn't going anywhere in the near future. Weirdly enough, he's the longest-tenured player on this roster now that Dexter Lawrence has been traded.
Especially now that Malik Nabers' Week 1 outlook looks to be in jeopardy, it feels even more unlikely for the team to trade the 29-year-old. He's got two years left on his contract and could be the perfect mentor to younger WRs like Nabers and Malachi Fields, even if he doesn't play an every-down role anymore.
But that hasn't stopped him from being included in hypothetical trade conversations. While discussing one trade target all 32 NFL teams should pursue, FanSided's Jake Beckman labeled Big Play Slay(ton) as a guy the Atlanta Falcons should trade for. But this idea feels a bit more farfetched than you'd think.
"A good guy to trade for would be Darius Slayton," Beckman wrote. "He’s got one year of guaranteed money left on his deal with the Giants, and he’s been incredibly consistent despite having played with 13 different quarterbacks in his seven-year career. He’s not going to blow your pants off with production, but he’s got good hands, and he’ll make life easier for a team that doesn’t have a starting quarterback. "
The Giants have no reason to trade Darius Slayton to the Falcons
Let's start with Big Blue's side of this. Despite Beckman's claim he has good hands, Giants fans know all too well that they don't show up when they need to.
He had five drops in 2025, four in 2024, and has recorded at least two drops in all seven of his NFL seasons. And yes, he's been consistent, but a consistent WR3. His best seasons came when New York's receiver room was awful and battered with injuries.
Behind Drake London, things are bleak. Third-round rookie Zachariah Branch has a bright future, but otherwise, nobody in this receiver room jumps out at me other than these two.
They brought in an underwhelming Jahan Dotson this offseason, and guys like Olamide Zaccheus and Casey Washington aren't much more than depth additions. However, Slayton of all players isn't going to solve this issue in Atlanta.
What the Falcons need at receiver is an explosive "X" option opposite London, and while the Auburn product can be that, they're not in a position to be trading assets for an aging receiver. Their QB room isn't all that great either, so if they're going to trade for a wideout, someone like Kayshon Boutte would make more sense.
If the G-Men have a receiver room so thin they are genuinely looking into signing Odell Beckham Jr., they are in no place to be trading Slayton, especially to the one WR-needy team that has no reason to be interested. And in terms of getting rid of receivers, Schoen has much bigger fish to fry.
Add us as a preferred source on Google