Why Giants star could become predraft trade piece

It's possible that wide receiver Darius Slayton has played his last meaningful snap as a member of the New York Giants. 

ESPN's Jordan Raanan reported on Wednesday afternoon that Slayton has not yet shown up for the Giants' voluntary offseason program because the 27-year-old wants a contract extension from the team. Per Raanan and Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk, Slayton is in the final year of a deal that is set to pay him roughly $6.2M, including a base salary of $2.5M.

The Giants theoretically shouldn't want to lose any additional offensive contributors considering star running back Saquon Barkley signed with the Philadelphia Eagles in free agency, while tight end Darren Waller could seemingly announce his retirement at any point. According to ESPN stats, Slayton finished the 2023 season third on the Giants with 50 receptions, first with 79 targets, first with 770 receiving yards and tied for first with four receiving touchdowns. 

However, the Giants spent a 2022 second-round draft pick on receiver Wan'Dale Robinson before they used a 2023 third-round choice to land wideout Jalin Hyatt. Many believe a New York team that finished this past season at 6-11 will use the sixth overall pick of the 2024 draft to grab an advertised WR1, so general manager Joe Schoen may ultimately deem before the first round gets underway on April 25 that Slayton is worth more to the club as a tradeable asset. 

Specifically, analysts have routinely linked the Giants with LSU Tigers wide receiver Malik Nabers and Washington Huskies star Rome Odunze. In a mock draft published on Wednesday, Dane Brugler of The Athletic noted that Nabers "would have been my No. 1 overall prospect in each of the last two draft classes."

Raanan mentioned that Slayton "is a favorite of" New York starting quarterback Daniel Jones. That may mean little to Schoen and company, as multiple offseason reports have claimed the Giants could part ways with Jones as soon as next offseason. 

The Giants may not move up this year's draft order from the sixth pick for a top-tier quarterback prospect, but acquiring an asset for Slayton could help Schoen make a trade that would allow the executive to select Washington's Michael Penix Jr. or Bo Nix of the Oregon Ducks at some point next week.