Giants reportedly entertaining cutdown day surprise

Darius Slayton has had a unique Giants career — one that could end Sunday.

The veteran wide receiver’s roster spot is in jeopardy as the 6 p.m. ET deadline to set the initial 53-man roster approaches, according to The Post. Slayton, 29, has not done much this preseason after having hernia surgery earlier this year. And while he has a hefty contract — the Giants would eat close to $13 million in dead cap space this year if they release him — that apparently will not hold them back.

From the report:

All summer, it was assumed Slayton would be on the roster, even though he clearly was not moving the same following surgery to repair a sports hernia. … [F]inancial considerations are not going to save Slayton. If the decision is made that at this point, he cannot contribute to the offense the way John Harbaugh and the new coaching staff envisioned, he will be among the cuts this weekend as the Giants get down to the 53-player limit.

Slayton saw a significant number of snaps in Friday’s final preseason game — never a great sign for a player’s roster hopes. But then again — this is not the first time he’s appeared headed for the exits.

There was a stretch where it seemed like the Giants were determined to move on from Slayton every year, only for the 2019 fourth-round pick out of Auburn to end up being one of the team’s best pass catchers.

Slayton has eight touchdowns as a rookie and has led the Giants in receiving yards four times in his career — in 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023. He was also second in yards last year. But his production has declined over the last two seasons, he’s always been drop-prone and the three-year, $36 million deal he signed before the 2025 season was a always a bit of a surprise.

So what happens here? If the Giants were going to cut Slayton, they probably would have done it already. Giving him a head start on finding a new team before the cutdown chaos would have been a deserved courtesy. So the guess here is the team either wants to trade him or — more likely — lean on him to take a pay cut.

Malik Nabers’ Week 1 availability remains an open question. Malachi Fields is a rookie. Odell Beckham Jr. is still injury-prone. And on and on. Slayton is still a guy the Giants can use, unless they think he is completely shot. And that brings us back to the first point.