Adding quality wide receivers around Drake Maye will be the focus for the New England Patriots this offseason, and one team reporter believes New York Giants pass-catcher Darius Slayton has the right “skill set” for the dynamic rookie quarterback.
That’s the view of Patriots.com Senior Reporter Evan Lazar. He captioned a post from Taylor Kyles of Patriots on CLNS showing “Slayton taking a bow concept, one of Drake Maye’s favorites, to the house” against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 17.
Lazar believes “Slayton can’t be the #Patriots only wide receiver addition. But I do like his skill set with Drake Maye.”
Slayton would be a more cost-effective pickup than some of the other big-name wideouts linked with the Patriots ahead of 2025 NFL free agency. His legitimate field-stretching speed would help Maye complete the necessary expansion of New England’s passing game.
Yet Slayton alone wouldn’t be enough to equip Maye with what he needs. The Pats would also need to go hunting for at least another dynamic target.
Darius Slayton Has Qualities Patriots Lack
Slayton is a quietly consistent type who goes under the radar for a few reasons. Namely, the mess that’s been the Giants’ quarterback situation in recent seasons, as well as being overshadowed by productive rookie receiver Malik Nabers.
Yet as good as Nabers is, Slayton has important qualities of his own. Qualities the Patriots lack. Specifically, the ability to take the top off defenses in an instant.
Slayton’s averaged 15 yards or more per reception in all but two seasons since entering the pros in 2019. The 27-year-old has also averaged double-digits before catch per reception in every season but one, according to Pro Football Reference.
Those numbers reveal Slayton is a true deep threat, something the Patriots need. They also require players with the right competitive attitude, something Slayton expressed after helping the Giants beat the Colts.
Many fans wanted to see Big Blue lose to preserve the top pick in the 2025 NFL draft, but Slayton wasn’t interested in tanking. He told reporters, “We’re obviously not tanking. We have a job to do. This isn’t basketball, it’s not golf, it’s not tennis. Football, you get hit. I’m not finna go out there and just let people tee off on me to tank,” per SNY.tv’s Giants Videos.
Darius Slayton is asked about the Giants winning today and how he feels about fans that would prefer they lost for draft positioning:
“We’re obviously not tanking. We have a job to do.
This isn’t basketball, it’s not golf, it’s not tennis. Football, you get hit. I’m not finna…
That’s the kind of mentality the Patriots require after a season of mixed messages when the culture under rookie head coach Jerod Mayo has been questioned. Mayo hardly helped matters by offering a typically confusing take on how players maintained their effort during Week 17’s 40-7 defeat to the Los Angeles Chargers.
Speaking to WEEI (h/t Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald), Mayo admitted “it’s hard when you know the score kind of gets out of control to keep pushing on. And I would say the majority, most of, if not all of the guys were still going out there trying to make a play.”
Patriots HC Jerod Mayo says on WEEI that he felt effort wasn’t a problem in Saturday’s loss, it was execution across the board.
On a follow-up, he says he saw some players fail to get their hands up on field goal block, but “it’s hard when you know the score kind of gets out of…
Fixing culture remains a priority for Mayo, but wins should remain his focus, and those will only follow if there’s better talent around Maye.
Drake Maye Needs Help to Make Patriots Better
Mayo and general manager Eliot Wolf have the means to provide Maye with better weapons. Notably, the $132,202,857 worth of salary cap space Spotrac.com projects the Patriots will have in 2025.
A chunk of that money needs to go on acquiring a marquee receiver. So it makes sense the Patriots are getting a head-start on recruiting 1,000-yard veteran Tee Higgins.
The Cincinnati Bengals star is likely to cash in during free agency, with Spotrac calculating the 26-year-old to be worth $20.7 million annually for five years. Slayton is cheaper at $16.3 million for two years, giving the Patriots freedom to fortify other areas of weakness, like the offensive line and pass rush.
Adding Slayton would also leave room for the Patriots to add a spectacular playmaker via the draft. They are in the prime spot after the Giants win handed the Pats the No. 1 pick, a selection they could use to take Colorado’s two-way sensation Travis Hunter.
The cornerback and wide receiver is a “unique talent” who “passes this way but once,” according to Jerry Thornton of Barstool Sports.
The Patriots obvious needs at OT notwithstanding, I’ve come around on the idea of drafting Travis Hunter. A player of his unique talent who balls out for 120 snaps a game – at CO altitudes no less – passes this way but once. GET HIM
Putting the breakaway talents of Hunter and Slayton around the intermediate skills of slot receiver DeMario Douglas and tight end Hunter Henry is a savvy way to elevate Maye’s game in Year 2.
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Patriots Reporter Likes Giants Wide Receiver’s ‘Skill Set With Drake Maye’