The New York Giants selected Darius Slayton in the fifth round of the 2019 NFL draft.
Slayton is incredibly talented and athletic, but he’s been saddled by the Giants’ lackluster offense for five years. Like Daniel Jones, Slayton is on his third head coach in his short tenure with the team.
Still, Slayton has had an impact on the field. While not as consistent as most would like, he’s still capable of great things and occasionally we see glimpses of that. Because of this, Slayton was deemed to have the Giants’ best value contract by ESPN.
This one was hard, as the Giants’ most valuable veteran cap hits of 2023 belong to players whose cap hits jump in future years. For example, defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence II has a $5.7 million cap number this year, which is hugely valuable. Next year, that jumps to $22.1 million. Or take linebacker Bobby Okereke, tied for second in the NFL in defeats. Okereke has a cap number of just $4.4 million in 2023, but that jumps to $11.2 million next season and $12.2 million in 2025 and 2026.
We’ll give the best value contract award to Slayton’s two-year deal that covers 2023 and 2024. Slayton has an inconsistent career but is the most valuable wide receiver on the Giants. Last season, he ranked 16th among receivers in DVOA, catching 46 passes for 724 yards and two touchdowns. This season, his DVOA is below average, but he still leads the Giants in receiving yards with 435 yards through Week 12. He has played 78% of New York’s offensive snaps so far in 2023.
Slayton’s 2023 cap hit is $4.2 million (1.8% of the Giants’ total cap) and his 2024 cap hit is $7.75 million (3.0%). On a two-year deal for a solid wide receiver, this is a huge value.
As ESPN noted, Slayton ranked 16th among receivers in DVOA last season. This season is below average, but he still leads the Giants in receiving yards and has played 78% of the Giants’ offensive snaps in 2023.
Slayton is not flashy and he doesn’t demand attention, but he can get the job done, and that’s the value he brings.
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