It’s been a strange year for New York Giants wide receiver Darius Slayton.
Upon the arrival of general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll, rumors began to surface about a potential trade. When no deal was reached, expectations were that the Giants would cut Slayton outright.
Eventually, it was requested that Slayton take a pay cut or be released. He chose the former.
Despite his willingness to help the club, he was buried on the team’s depth chart. He saw almost no playing time early in the season before emerging as an unsung hero in a Week 5 upset of the Green Bay Packers.
Suddenly, Slayton is out of the doghouse and has become one of the team’s most important offensive assets. And despite it all, he’s remained relatively neutral and modest.
“I feel like you can’t always be like what you do and don’t deserve because you can’t ever get too high and can’t ever get too low. So, I just kind of take opportunities as they come and take advantage of them,” Slayton told reporters on Wednesday.
Rather than sulking or making waves, Slayton just came to work every day and did what he was asked to do. He was professional about it and trusted that his opportunity would come.
“You just focus on your craft. Focus on bettering myself, making sure that all my skills are sharp and that I knew my plays. That way I’d be ready for whenever my opportunity came,” he said. “At the end of the day the NFL’s a business. Everybody at some point in their career goes through something.”
Now that Slayton is playing well and contributing, is it time for the Giants to revisit his contract?
“No, it doesn’t quite work like that,” Slayton said with a laugh.
With Kadarius Toney and Kenny Golladay still out due to injury, Slayton should continue seeing an increased snap count and passes coming his way.
