The longest-tenured Giant might be on the way out.
Darius Slayton might not make the cut, The Post has learned.
All summer, it was assumed Slayton would be on the roster, even though he clearly was not moving the same following surgery to repair a sports hernia. What seemed to protect his place on the team was that he was entering the second year of a three-year, $36 million contract and parting ways with him would be onerous to the salary cap.
Well, financial considerations are not going to save Slayton. If the decision is made that at this point, he cannot contribute to the offense the way John Harbaugh and the new coaching staff envisioned, he will be among the cuts this weekend as the Giants get down to the 53-player limit.
New York Giants wide receiver Darius Slayton speaks with the media during training camp at the Greenbrier on Saturday, August 1, 2026, in White Sulphur Springs, W.Va. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST
It was not a good sign for Slayton that Friday night, in the preseason finale, not only did he start, but he also was on the field in the second quarter, when backup quarterback Jameis Winston gave way to third-string Brandon Allen. Harbaugh played it cautiously with almost all of his starters, keeping them on the sideline, but Slayton received a full workload alongside many players who will not be on the squad. He was on the field for 33 snaps on offense, tying Odell Beckham Jr., Dalen Cambre and Isaiah Hodgins for a team-high among wide receivers. Slayton had no receptions and was not targeted by either Winston or Allen. Xavier Gipson, who has special teams value (Slayton does not), played 25 snaps and had a 37-yard touchdown catch.
Slayton’s base salary for 2026 is $12.5 million and his salary cap hit is a bloated $15.9 million. The guaranteed money for this season is $9.7 million, and if he is released, the Giants save $3.167 million in nonguaranteed salary, according to OverTheCap.com. That would leave a dead cap hit of around $12.7 million in 2026 (and $3 million in 2027). The dead cap this year could be decreased if Slayton signs with another team for the veteran minimum of $1.3 million.
Slayton, 29, arrived as a fifth-round pick in 2019 and has gone through an interesting Giants journey. He pulled in between 37 and 50 receptions in all seven seasons and in 106 regular-season games compiled 296 receptions and 22 touchdowns. In 2022, Slayton had to convince Brian Daboll’s coaching staff that he was worth keeping around.
Last season, Slayton had only 37 catches in 14 games and then needed surgery in the offseason. He was brought along slowly this spring but was not very productive in training camp.
New York Giants wide receiver Darius Slayton (18) runs with the football against Miami Dolphins cornerback Marco Wilson (21) during the first half at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, on Saturday, August 22, 2026. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
“I thought he played well, had a heckuva camp,’’ Harbaugh said Saturday. “He’s a great guy, great player, hard worker and did a heck of a job like he’s always done here.’’
Last week in the preseason game in Miami Gardens, Fla., Slayton did break out, with four receptions for 58 yards, including a 28-yard pickup as he got open deep against Dolphins backups.
That seemed to impress Harbaugh, who had been waiting for Slayton to flash his former form.
“That was big,’’ Harbaugh told The Post after that game. “So big, honestly I needed to see that. Probably other people, everybody probably did. I mean you have to do it every year, you have to come back and keep doing it. He’s been battling through those injuries so to see him step up like that and make those plays was really good.’’
The Giants will look to upgrade anywhere they can, but this will not be a case of them adding a slew of players from other teams after getting down to the 53-man limit.
“It’s not like we’re scouring the waiver wire for players,’’ Harbaugh said. “We’re really happy with our roster, we feel like we’ve got all the players in place we need. At the same time, if there’s an opportunity to improve ourselves somewhere along the way, we will.’’
Last week, free agent signing Calvin Austin III went down with a season-ending torn ACL.
Austin was going to be a big factor in the passing game, and his absence left a void in a receiver room that could lead to the door swinging open for Beckham. The room might not include Slayton for the first time since 2019.