By Spencer Kessler
When it comes to offensive players who have been consistent contributors to the Giants over the past couple of seasons, Darius Slayton is a player who easily come to mind. Aside from his third season, when he played his fewest games, Slayton has recorded at least 500 receiving yards in every other campaign of his career. Despite this, his career has been a rollercoaster of trade speculation and how he should be utilized in the Giants offense. Now that the offseason has begun, the question has been raised once again: What should the Giants do with Slayton?

The Cross Road:
The Giants currently have four wide receivers on their roster, including Slayton, all of whom deserve playing time. Yes, even you, Jalin Hyatt. Additionally, according to Spotrac, this year’s free-agent market is one of the strongest in recent memory opening the door for the Giants to look for someone more explosive: Tee Higgins, Chris Godwin, Stefon Diggs, or Hollywood Brown. However, is it in the Giants’ best interest to allocate cap space to a wide receiver who will demand at least $15 million?
This raises the question if the Giants need to bring in a stud free-agent to pair with WR1 Malik Nabers. The production from this group is not enough to play meaning football in December. Wan’Dale Robinson had a solid season, recording 93 receptions but racked up only 699 receiving yards.
As for Hyatt, it might be time to provide him with a proper chance to showcase his talents. We cannot let a Biletnikoff Award winner—who triumphed over college standouts like Marvin Harrison Jr., Rome Odunze, and Emeka Egbuka—to fade away without any opportunity. This creates a dilemma: should the Giants continue to wait for Hyatt to develop, bring back the consistency of Slayton and retain the 30th-ranked offense from this past season or spend on the FA market?
Slayton’s price tag may be too steep for the Giants to accommodate taking in consideration the production. They have $43 million in cap space according to New York Giants on SI and Slayton could reasonably demand a salary of over $10 million per season.
What’s The Price:
The Giants should only consider bringing him back if he is willing to accept a contract of $8 million or less. Allocating nearly a quarter of their cap space to a player who is likely to be a WR3 or WR4 is not justifiable. Did Joe Schoen attempt to trade him at the deadline and receive no takers? We will never know.
Parting Gifts:
It may just be time to let Slayton walk and pursue new opportunities in his career. After six years with the Giants, he has given his all to the team and deserves a chance to play for a contending organization. There would be no bad blood between Slayton, the Giants, or their fanbase, unlike with some other recently departed offensive players. Regardless of what happens, Darius Slayton has been nothing but a pro’s pro for the Giants and a key contributor over the past few seasons.
What would you do Giants fans?
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