Big Blue View
It has been a long, winding, and often disappointing, road with the New York for Darius Slayton since he joined the team in 2019.
A fifth-round pick in that 2019 NFL Draft, Slayton has had to earn the respect of three different head coaches. He has had productive seasons and poor ones. He has dealt with far too much losing. He had to take a pay cut to stay with the team a couple of years ago.
Still, with an opportunity to go elsewhere in free agency this past offseason, Slayton chose to return to the Giants for a seventh season, and hopefully more, signing a three-year, $36 million contract.
Slayton, 28, and Dexter Lawrence are now the longest-tenured Giants. That makes Slayton a core player, a veteran with a wide array of experiences and knowledge of life as a Giant that his younger, less experienced teammates can lean on.
Slayton said on Tuesday that he has finally become comfortable being vocal and sharing his experiences with teammates.
“It’s really been my fault,” Slayton said. “I’m not a talker. I have a wealth of knowledge in my brain, and this year I’ve tried to be conscious about sharing that with the guys around me and with the teammates around me.
“I think that it’s been something that’s been beneficial for our team. A lot of guys that I’ve shared things with have expressed appreciation for what I’ve shared. So I’ve tried to come out of my shell more this year than I have in the past and be more vocal and just try to try to impart knowledge and wisdom when I can.”
Current Giants head coach Brian Daboll is certainly one of those who had to be convinced that Slayton was a player who could help the Giants. In 2022, Daboll’s first as the team’s head coach, Slayton did not play Week 1 and did not catch a pass until Week 4.
Despite that, Slayton caught 46 passes for a team-leading 724 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He has earned Daboll’s respect.
“Slayton is an excellent teammate and he’s been that way since I’ve been here,” Daboll said. “He’s been productive in the things that we’ve asked him to do. He’s an excellent leader, and I know people maybe don’t see it but from behind the scenes, and I’d say particularly this year, he’s been vocal, very good communicator, sets the standard on how we should practice and that’s why we wanted him back. I’m glad he signed both times back. He’s an excellent teammate and he’s productive in his craft. He’s a good veteran to have on this football team.”
Daboll understands the ups and downs Slayton has experienced.
“It hasn’t always been easy for him,” Daboll said. “He’s had some rocky times and he’s kind of always persevered – this guy has always persevered when… I know the first year I got here, how it started out and then he just kept on grinding and grinding...
