Darius Slayton Says He'll Be a Hot-Ticket Free Agent but He Wants to Win

The sixth-year wideout said he is expecting to draw a lot of interest from teams for his deep threat ability in a class loaded with older, slower veterans.

Darius Slayton (86) of the New York Giants reacts after the game against the New Orleans Saints at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., on Dec. 8, 2024. Elsa/Getty Images

New York Giants wide receiver Darius Slayton expects to be a hot commodity in the free agent market this offseason.

Appearing on the “Talkin' Ball with Pat Leonard“ podcast posted on March 3, Slayton touted his ability as a deep threat, saying that his short but established career makes him valuable to many teams, even with a stacked free agency at the receiver position. The soon-to-be free agent said this should make him a hot commodity on the market. However, Slayton told Leonard and co-host, former NFL wide receiver Bennie Fowler, that his top priority is going to a competitive team.

“We know we have a lot of interest out there,” Slayton said of his own team. “This receiver free agency class is very unique, and fortunately for me, I’m in a niche spot of my ability, combined with where I’m at in my career. That makes me fairly valuable at this point in comparison to some of the other guys. And we know that, and teams have expressed that sentiment to my agent or whatever, and so we know that we have a lot of interest out there.”

The list of free agent receivers in 2025 is front-loaded with top talent:

• Six-time Pro Bowler Davante Adams, who was released by the New York Jets on Tuesday
• Stefon Diggs, who led the NFL in receptions and receiving yards in 2020
• Six-time Pro Bowler and 2017 Comeback Player of the Year Keenan Allen
• Five-time Pro Bowler Amari Cooper
• Super Bowl LV Champion and 2019 All-Pro and Pro Bowler Chris Godwin
• Five-time All-Pro and Pro Bowler and 2017 receiving touchdowns leader DeAndre Hopkins

Adams, Diggs, Allen, Cooper, and Hopkins are all over 30. Slayton, who is 28, noted that he is still in his prime and has had a productive career, and said that he can still run fast, unlike the elder statesmen on the market. That speed allows him to stretch the field vertically and create chunk plays, which lead to shorter drives and touchdowns; that vertical element is even more critical since the NFL is shifting toward defensive dominance, which has forced offenses to slowly march down the field with the short passing game.

Slayton said he has a goal to play 10 years but he also wants to win some accolades and put up some statistical accomplishments.

“The reality is, if you don’t have the on-paper numbers and accolades, your career kind of sounds lackluster ... I'd like to accumulate some on-paper stuff, whether that be eclipsing a thousand yards, having 10 touchdowns in a season, hopefully a Pro Bowl or All-Pro bid.”

Slayton’s career high in receiving yards was 770, which he set in 2023; his career best in touchdowns was eight in 2019. He finished third on the team in receiving in 2024, with just 573 yards and two touchdowns. First-round draft pick Malik Nabers led the team with 1,204 yards and seven TDs.

More important than statistics or accolades or even money, Slayton said he wants to win. “Five out of my six years with the Giants, we weren’t competitive, we didn’t make the playoffs, we weren’t really close to making the playoffs,” he said. “And one thing I’ve learned in my career is that ... if I go off and I get paid, I sleep great at night ... but like, it weighs on me so heavy, just losing every single week. I can’t take [it].”

“I would like to just get close to get to at least a championship of the NFC or AFC,” he added later.

Fowler, who caught Peyton Manning’s final pass in the Denver Broncos’ victory in Super Bowl 50 and played with Slayton in New York in 2019, affirmed Slayton’s point and said that winning a championship surpasses any individual award in the eyes of fans.

“It will change your life forever,” he said. “And then, you will think about stats very differently, because if you never eclipse a thousand yards or [get an] All-Pro or whatever, if you win a Super Bowl you can get into any room in that city and do whatever you want.”