The New York Giants surprisingly released veteran wide receiver Darius Slayton and the New York Jets should be interested.
Second-year WR Arian Smith made the Jets’ 53-man roster, but if there had been stiffer competition in the room, he wouldn’t have. That didn’t happen during the offseason, but an opportunity has presented itself days before the regular season.
Slayton, 29, spent the first seven years of his career with the Giants. He was set to enter his 8th season in the NFL in 2026. He has never been a star player, but he brings a high floor.
The Jets should strongly consider dumping Smith in favor of Slayton.
A Much Higher Floor
Slayton entered the NFL as the No. 171 overall pick in the fifth round of the 2019 NFL draft. During his time in the league, Slayton has appeared in 106 games and has made 78 starts. With those opportunities, he has been targeted 522 times, catching 296 receptions for 4,435 receiving yards and scoring 22 receiving touchdowns.
In six of his seven seasons, Slayton has recorded at least 538 receiving yards. He is the definition of the pro’s pro.
On top of his high floor as a veteran, Slayton should be dirt cheap for whoever signs him next.
“The Giants are releasing WR Darius Slayton, taking on nearly $16M of dead cap over the next 2 seasons, including $10M of salary in 2026. NY frees up $2.9M of cap space this season & another $10M in 2027. The $10M guarantee will be offset/reduced by any salary Slayton earns elsewhere this year,” Spotrac posted on X.
In other words, Slayton could sign for the veteran minimum on his next deal. That would stick the rest of the big bill with his former team, the Giants.
The Only Potential Problem With This Plan
Is Slayton a better player than Smith? Yes. Is Slayton a more reliable player than Smith? Yes.
However, the true reason that Smith is still on this Jets roster is because of his special teams prowess. The team values his contributions as a gunner.
If Slayton were to replace Smith, that would leave a void on special teams. Last season, Slayton appeared in 14 games for the Giants, but he didn’t play a single special teams snap.
Smith had more special teams snaps as a rookie (58) than Slayton has had in his entire seven-year NFL career (22).
So despite Smith’s issues as a player, it may not be a perfect fit to swap him out for Slayton. Another possibility could be throwing veteran Tim Patrick to the curb for Slayton.
Patrick hasn’t had as much success as Slayton has had during his career. Patrick has 262 career special teams snaps, which is significantly more than Slayton’s 22. However, 216 of Patrick’s 262 special teams snaps came during his second season in the league eight years ago.
So special teams is a wash, and Slayton is a better player. The only thing you lose with that veteran WR swap is size. Patrick stands at 6-foot-5 and weighs 210 pounds. Slayton is listed at 6-foot-1 and weighs 198 pounds.
The Jets shouldn’t get complacent with the roster. If there is a chance to improve the wide receiver depth chart, the Jets should explore it. This is one of those opportunities before the season.
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