Giants $36 million weapon draws high praise as most underrated player

The New York Giants brought back wide receiver Darius Slayton on a three-year deal this offseason in what was viewed as a mildly surprising move.

Both parties seemed destined to part ways this offseason, but New York wound up re-signing the former fifth-round pick to a deal worth up to $36 million.

Though Malik Nabers is the top target in the offense, Slayton was named the most underrated player at the wide receiver position by ESPN's Aaron Schatz.

Advanced metrics support the move since Slayton has had a positive receiving DVOA (defense-adjusted value over average) for three straight seasons. And it's not like he has done that while working with any of the NFL's best quarterbacks. With Russell Wilson, Jameis Winston and/or Jaxson Dart under center in 2025, Slayton should continue to work as a deep threat opposite Nabers. He'll probably put up another quietly productive and surprisingly efficient season.

For a long stretch before Nabers arrived, Slayton was the de facto No. 1 target in the offense. He's coming off a down year in 2024 after recording 39 receptions for 573 yards and two touchdowns, all of which are the second-worst numbers of his career.

However, he's recorded at least 724 yards in four of his six seasons and has a career average of 15.0 yards per reception.

The Giants offense will be an interesting unit to keep an eye on this season, but Slayton is set to play a major role as the running mate to Nabers in 2025.