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Darnell Mooney #1 of the Atlanta Falcons reacts prior to the game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium.
The New York Giants made a major veteran addition to their wide receiver room on Saturday, signing former Atlanta Falcon and Chicago Bear Darnell Mooney to a one-year, $10 million deal, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
New York needed a bigger signing than just Isaiah Hodgins or Calvin Austin in their wide receiver room, and they got it in Mooney.
Arguably, the most shocking bit of information to come out of the signing was who Mooney spurned in order to come play for the Giants.
According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Philadelphia Eagles “were involved” in the former Falcons wide receiver’s market, but lost out to the Giants, of all teams.
Is that a knock on the Eagles, or does it prove just how respectable the Giants have become?
Giants OC Matt Nagy Played a Factor
Despite New York Giants fans’ original resistance to the idea of former Chicago Bears head coach Matt Nagy becoming the new offensive coordinator under John Harbaugh, Fowler claims Nagy played a pivotal role in luring Mooney to New York.
“Giants OC Matt Nagy was a factor. Mooney maintained a good relationship with Nagy from their Chicago days,” wrote Fowler.
It makes sense. Mooney was a fifth-round draft pick out of Tulane in 2020, when Nagy was in his second year as head coach of the Bears.
He had his career-best output in 2021, working in Nagy’s offense. Mooney hauled in 81 receptions for 1,055 yards, scoring five total touchdowns.
After departing the Bears, Mooney took his talents to Atlanta, playing the last two seasons with the Falcons.
The Tulane product had a solid first season in Atlanta, just barely missing a 1,000-yard season by just eight. He also tied his career-high in total touchdowns with five.
In 2025, Mooney fell out of favor with the Falcons’ coaching staff and was far less involved in the offense. He was released just two years into the three-year, $39 million contract he signed in 2024.
As an unrestricted free agent, Mooney decided he would rather team up with his old coach rather than try something new with the Philadelphia Eagles.
For the first time in his tenure, Nagy has left Giants fans with something to feel positive about.
Is the Giants’ Wide Receiver Room Complete?
As things stand, the New York Giants have created themselves a decent array of pass-catching options for second-year quarterback Jaxson Dart.
Malik Nabers is, of course, the No. 1 option. But his knee injury and recovery paint a murky picture of his readiness for the offseason program.
Mooney, Darius Slayton, and the recent additions Austin and Hodges fill out the rest of the room, and the Giants should no longer feel pigeon-holed to take a wide receiver at No. 5 in the 2026 NFL Draft.
If New York’s on the clock and feels someone like Ohio State’s Carnell Tate is the best course of action, they’ll most certainly take him. But his fellow Buckeyes, Sony Styles and Caleb Downs, could also be in play.
Either way, the point is the Giants shouldn’t feel forced to take a player just because of positional need, thanks to the way they’ve supplemented their roster in free agency.
New York should take the player who grades out highest on their board, knowing they’ve done a good job on the open market.
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