The New York Giants made a decision about wide receiver Darius Slayton in 2025 NFL free agency, a decision that not only fooled league insiders, but also makes draft bust Jalin Hyatt a potential “trade option.”
Slayton got paid on Monday, March 10, to the tune of $36 million for three years, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo. The contract rates as a surprise since Slayton was expected to have a strong market away from the Giants, who appeared content to move on from the genuine vertical threat.
Turns out the insiders were wrong and Slayton is staying put, and that’s bad news for one other Giants wideout. Slayton’s presence as a veteran complement to 2024 first-round sensation Malik Nabers, as well as an enduring talent for stretching the field, can make Hyatt expendable.
That’s the verdict of Dan Duggan of The Athletic. The senior writer covering the Giants believes “Slayton’s return doesn’t bode well for anyone holding out hope for a Jalin Hyatt breakout in Year 3. Could see him becoming a trade option.”
It makes sense for Hyatt’s future to be in doubt. He’s done so little since the Giants traded up to draft him in the third round two years ago.
The talent is there, but the Giants could be tired of waiting and feel safer trusting Slayton for big plays through the air.
Darius Slayton, Giants Fooled Insiders
Garafolo summed it up best when he referenced The Godfather trilogy to depict how Slayton and the Giants had caught those in the know off guard again.
Slayton always managed to stick around in the past, even when his own name was bandied in trade circles. Yet, this year felt different, with the 28-year-old generating “buzz”among interested teams.
He’d also made clear during an appearance on the “The Talkin’ Ball with Pat Leonard podcast” that he wants to win now. Slayton bemoaned his losing run with the Giants, telling Leonard, “five out of my six years with the Giants we weren’t competitive. We didn’t make the playoffs. We weren’t really close to making the playoffs.”
Money still talks, though, and Slayton got a good deal to come back. The irony is he “was the best fit as WR2 in a market full of aging WRs who would likely command more money and/or not fit into the locker room as well. There were no signs that either side was interested in staying together … but here we are,” according to Duggan.
More irony abounds about Slayton returning to a Giants team still far-from ready to win now. The malaise owes a lot to erratic drafting, with Hyatt just one example among a litany of missed picks.
Jalin Hyatt Yet to Unlock Potential
Giants general manager Joe Schoen moved up to get the 73rd selection in 2023 so he could choose Hyatt. Schoen saw a legitimate burner whose straight-line speed would scare defenses at any level.
That was the theory, but Hyatt has consistently failed to deliver. His core game is limited when it comes to the more subtle techniques of playing receiver, while the 23-year-old has dropped five passes in two years and made just 10 starts, per Pro Football Reference.
Schoen has stayed committed to Hyatt, despite the lack of playing time and production, but it’s hard to see the GM’s confidence remaining undimmed. Especially when Nabers is already a star, while Wan’Dale Robinson is still around to play the slot, and Slayton remains the familiar choice.
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