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Darius Slayton 'happy to still be a Giant'

DARIUS-SLAYTON-SIGNED

If Darius Slayton never played another snap in a Giants uniform, he would have finished 17th all-time in receptions, 18th in receiving yards, and tied for 22nd in touchdown catches.

Not bad for the 171st pick in the 2019 NFL Draft whose rookie minicamp famously started with a handful of drops. He caught on from there, and after signing a new deal to stay with the Giants, Slayton has a chance to climb higher and higher in the franchise record books.

"Honestly, I hadn't thought about it, but somebody sent it to me," Slayton said Thursday after he re-signed while surrounded by family members. "It almost didn't read right in my head. I was like, dang, I didn't realize it was actually something that was that attainable. I felt like Amani Toomer's numbers were way over there in Pennsylvania or something."

View the best photos of wide receiver Darius Slayton's time with the Giants.

Out of 100 Giants seasons, Toomer leads them all with 668 receptions for 9,497 yards and 54 touchdowns. Slayton, if he keeps on his current averages for three more seasons, would climb to second in receiving yards, fifth in catches, and 10th in receiving touchdowns.

From there, you start talking about legacy.

"It's definitely something that would be cool," Slayton said. "I think anybody wants to end their career and feel like they left an impact on wherever they played for and have a positive memory of them wherever they played. So obviously for my next three years, I'm going to do my best to play my best and leave fans with a positive image of Darius Slayton in mind."

Individual numbers aren't the only thing on his mind, though. The Giants have made only one playoff appearance in his six seasons.

"I figured it would be that way if I did decide to come back here, and I understand why people would be surprised," said Slayton, who was the Giants' nominee for the 2024 NFL Walter Payton Man of the Year. "But at the end of the day, I've enjoyed my six years here as a Giant. I've enjoyed my teammates here. I enjoy working with the people in this building. Obviously, we haven't won as many games as I would have liked and all that type of thing. But I believe that we are capable of winning more games in the future. And honestly other than that, I really couldn't tell you much bad about my experience being a Giant.

"Really, when we get this thing going in the right direction, we start winning, I really couldn't tell you a bad thing about this place. I understand how, from a football perspective and all of that, people would get there. But like I say, I evaluated the situations that were out there. And from both a football and a life perspective, I felt like remaining a Giant was the best for me."

Receivers know better than anyone that a quarterback can elevate everyone to more wins. The Giants are looking to find theirs for the future, so what would his pitch be to any prospective signal-caller?

"I'm all about getting any good football players here, but I'm certainly about getting good football players here that throw me the ball," Slayton said. "Whatever I can do to help that initiative I'll be a part of. And honestly, I would just tell them, look, we have a lot of young, talented players, specifically pass catchers. I think we're a very quarterback-friendly unit. I think for a veteran quarterback or for a young quarterback, either way they'd be coming into a good situation, full of good players. And we've got two great tackles so you're safe. The left tackle is one of the best in the league. The right tackle is one of the best right tackles in the league. You're safe. We've got weapons. I think any quarterback should look at this situation as the sky is the limit."

Slayton added: "I think that's what free agency is all about. It gives you a chance to sit back and reflect and be able to look at what other opportunities you have out there and look at other teams, as well as evaluate the team and the organization you're already a part of, that I've been a part of for some time. Obviously, through this process I ended up being a Giant and happy to still be a Giant."

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