The wide receiver market did not develop early in free agency as many anticipated, which left Darius Slayton in an underwhelming position.
Despite that, several teams did come calling and he had a few options on the table. But after the New York Giants re-signed quarterback Daniel Jones to a long-term deal, that decision was made for him — even if it meant taking less to return.
“We had multiple teams that were interested. This is really a pretty weird free agency year. Teams really weren’t just throwing around money kind of like in other years. But we had a few teams that were interested that I probably could’ve went with,” Slayton told reporters on Monday. “Ultimately the Giants, when they got DJ back — obviously because the quarterback is a pretty big piece of being a receiver.
“But just the familiarity here, with Dabs (head coach Brian Daboll) and Kaf (offensive coordinator Mike Kafka) and (general manager) Joe (Schoen) are building here and some of the guys they acquired, I just felt like this would be the best place for me to go. And obviously, I’m comfortable. I enjoy being here. I enjoy the people here. So, it was easy to come back.”
Slayton also reflected on the 2022 season and specifically, how things started. He was in the doghouse early on and it took a rebound to get back on track.
The situation could have spiraled but Slayton remained professional. And in the end, he says he has no one to blame but himself.
“I tend to point the thumb and not the finger and look at what I can do better — what have I done to put myself in whatever situation? And sometimes in life, you can do everything you’re supposed to do, and you end up getting screwed over. But I’d be lying if I said I didn’t somewhat contribute to my situation last year,” Slayton said. “And at the end of the day, I have to take responsibility for that and do better.”
Slayton believes that a hamstring early on is what derailed him and he’s intent on avoiding that same situation in the future.
