New York Giants wide receiver Darius Slayton spent the summer uncertain about his future. He was the subject of trade rumors and admitted he wouldn’t have been surprised had he end up cut.
“I don’t think surprised is the word. I don’t think I would be surprised now,” Slayton said in August. “Every year, it’s kind of like my fourth time doing this. I don’t know. I don’t really stress about it too much. At the end of the day, if it’s meant for me to be here, I’ll be here. If it’s not, I won’t.”
Slayton never ducked reporters amid the trade rumors and even kept things lighthearted when discussing it.
“Their job is to do what’s best for this team. So if somebody calls them and like if the Rams called and were like we’ll give you Aaron Donald for Darius Slayton, I mean I’d make that trade, too,” Slayton said, via Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News.
In the end, Slayton wasn’t cut or traded. However, he was absent from practice on Tuesday. The Giants said he was excused, but it still raised some eyebrows.
Whatever the reason for Slayton’s absence was, he’ll be back on Wednesday having accepted a pay cut to remain with the team.
Giants & WR Darius Slayton agreed to paycut that will keep him on team source says. Drops his salary from $2.54m to league min ($965k). Saves Giants about $1.6 against cap. Slayton has a chance to earn some back with playtime incentives. He’ll be on the field for practice today.
— Tom Rock (@TomRock_Newsday) September 7, 2022
General manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll had previously said Slayton would remain with the team through at least Week 1, but he now appears destined to ride out the 2022 regular season in blue.
That’s likely good news for both the Giants and Slayton. Despite his decreased production in recent years, he remains one of the team’s most consistent and healthiest wide receivers.
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