Giants Part Ways With $36 Million WR in Surprise Move

The New York Giants have been shedding players from their recent past throughout this entire offseason — that doesn’t mean their latest move wasn’t a complete surprise.

“The Giants released WR Darius Slayton,” NFL insider Jordan Schultz wrote on his official X account on Monday. “Darius Slayton has quietly become one of the more productive WRs the Giants have had, ranking top 15 all-time in both catches and yards. The former 5th-round pick was also the team’s longest-tenured player.”

“The Giants have announced the release of WR Darius Slayton,” NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo wrote on his official X account. “The 2019 fifth-round pick moves on after 296 catches in 106 games over seven seasons in East Rutherford.”

“Slayton had $9.8 million of his $12.3 million salary already guaranteed, so while they save $2.5 million by not having him on the Week 1 roster, Giants will be paying him a lot to play somewhere else this year,” ESPN’s Bill Barnwell wrote on his official X account.

Slayton signed a 3-year, $36 million contract with the Giants before the 2025 season.

Darius Slayton Consistently Produced for Giants

Slayton, 6-foot-1 and 198 pounds, has been a consistent source of production for the Giants since he was selected in the 5th round (No. 171 overall) out of Auburn in the 2019 NFL Draft.

In 7 seasons, Slayton has 17-game averages of 47 receptions for 711 yards and 4 touchdowns. In 2025, he had 37 receptions for 538 yards and 1 touchdown in 14 games.

“Darius Slayton finishes his time in New York with 296 catches, 4,435 yards, and 22 TDs, and handled everything with class,” The 33rd Team’s Ari Meirov wrote on his official X account. “He was set to make $13M this season, with most of it guaranteed, and was the Giants’ longest-tenured player, having been with the team since 2019.”

“Darius Slayton released by the Giants outright,” New York Daily News sports columnist Pat Leonard wrote on his official X account. “Didn’t fit in this new roster. Was clear during camp, as outlined here. Wish him well at his next stop … 5th round pick who weathered and saw a lot here and outperformed his draft expectations significantly.”

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