Oh, how quickly things can change. Not long ago, some people, including us, were wondering whether or not NY Giants wideout Darius Slayton would be cut or traded. With him holding out due to contract issues, things weren't looking great for the veteran wideout.
However, Slayton is back with the G-Men at OTAs and he spoke with the media for the first time this offseason in East Rutherford. While speaking after practice, Slayton revealed that he didn't land an extension or extra guaranteed money from Joe Schoen.
So, what did the front office do to get him to return to the team? As it turns out, all it took was for some extra 2024 incentives to be added to Slayton's deal. Instead of turning this into a summer-long soap opera, Slayton returned with just some extra incentives? Come on, that's unreal from No. 86:
Details on this: Darius Slayton previously had $1.5M available in incentives, he now has $2.15M in incentives available.
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) May 30, 2024
He has a chance to earn an extra $650K than his prior max compensation for 2024. https://t.co/ELe4xW0qag
Darius Slayton is back with the NY Giants after having incentives added to his contract
If this doesn't tell you that Slayton is the ultimate team guy, then we don't know what else you need to see out of him. Only around $600,000 more in potential incentives to get him back? Slayton has led the Giants in receiving in four of the past five seasons. After having some drop issues in recent years, he was as reliable as can be in 2023.
Despite the Giants limping their way to a 6-11 record and the offense struggling to get into any kind of a consistent rhythm, Slayton was fun to watch at times. This hookup between him and Tyrod Taylor was easily one of the highlights of the campaign for the G-Men:
Play the young guys like Gray and Riley and let them get some good game snaps but let's take the L please
— NFL Hot Takes ™ (@nygfan54) December 31, 2023
Come this fall and winter, the Giants need to turn things around. The hope is that a healthy Daniel Jones and an improved offensive line will help the offense move in the right direction. No. 6 overall pick Malik Nabers should be a stud too, but knowing Slayton is happy with his adjusted contract is big for Brian Daboll and Co. Let's hope the incentives are reasonable, as the WR is on the final year of his two-year, $12.2 million deal.