The list of names Darius Slayton is expected to bump down the Giants’ all-time record book this season includes former teammates, mentors and long-retired fan favorites.
The journey upward could start in Week 1 because Slayton needs just 44 receiving yards — one moon ball from Russell Wilson — to surpass two-time Super Bowl winner Lionel Manuel.
Next comes Sterling Shepard. And, if he flirts with 800 yards like usual, Slayton will jump over Jeremy Shockey, Victor Cruz, Ike Hilliard, Hakeem Nicks and others by season’s end to move from No. 18 to No. 9, with a legit path to No. 2 behind Amani Toomer by the end of his new three-year contract.
“I have profound respect for all the names you just said — all the guys who were good players here before me,” Slayton, a 2019 fifth-round draft pick, said after Tuesday’s walk-through. “But somebody like Hakeem Nicks, Amani Toomer, Mario Manningham, Plaxico Burress — those types of guys — the envy I have for them is the fact that they won at the highest level. I’d much rather catch them in Super Bowl rings than I would in yardage.”
Slayton, 28, quietly bypassed Burress and Ring of Honor member Mark Bavaro late last season in what looked like his final games as a Giant. Then he surprisingly re-signed in free agency for the second time and now it isn’t crazy to think of him as a one-uniform legacy player.
“Ultimately, while it would be nice to be able to pass up people who were such good football players, that’s not really my focus,” Slayton said. “Even if I had the NFL record for yards through seven years in the NFL, it wouldn’t change the fact of the games we’ve not been able to win in my time here. That’s my primary focus.”
Slayton’s 3,897 career receiving yards — the seventh most in a draft class that includes fellow non-first-rounders and NFC East rivals A.J. Brown, Terry McLaurin, Deebo Samuel (in his first season with the Commanders) — have come during games in which the Giants are 30-61-1.
There are a lot of lessons to be learned in all those losses.
And Slayton, who always has been a front-facing voice to fans and media but never a co-captain, is taking a more active role in the locker room now that he is the longest-tenured member of the offense.
“From behind the scenes — and I’d say particularly this year — he’s been vocal, sets the standard on how we should practice, and that’s why we wanted him back,” head coach Brian Daboll said.
“I love coaching him, and I’m very impressed with how he’s taken another step in his leadership, particularly the communication. There are times he has gotten up in front of the room and talked to the entire team and did one hell of a job. The most important thing, he knows, is playing well, but he’s available, he practices, he’s smart, he knows every position you could know on offense in terms of the skill guys. I’m glad we have him.”
The Giants didn’t make any changes to their top four wideouts or top three tight ends despite ranking No. 28 in passing offense last season.
Slayton didn’t gripe last season when 170 targets went to rookie Malik Nabers and 140 went to Wan’Dale Robinson, compared to his 71.
And he hasn’t again as the target share remains imbalanced with Wilson.
If Slayton’s career has shown anything, however, it’s that he always finds a way to be involved.
Whether that was as a rookie stepping into the void left by Odell Beckham Jr. and catching Eli Manning’s final touchdown pass, or in Daboll’s first season when a slew of drops had him on the training camp chopping block.
“It hasn’t always been easy for him,” Daboll said. “He’s had some rocky times and he’s kind of always persevered. I know the first year I got here how it started out, and then he just kept on grinding and grinding and you have an appreciation for people like that who are able to weather storms and overcome things and then look pretty good coming out from the back side.”
With bigger money — $12 million per year contract — comes bigger responsibility.
“It’s really been my fault,” Slayton said of his delayed turn in speaking up. “I’m not a talker. I have a wealth of knowledge in my brain. This year, I’ve tried to be conscious about sharing that with the guys around me. I think it’s been something that’s been beneficial for our team. A lot of guys that I’ve shared things with have expressed appreciation. I’ve tried to come out of my shell this year more than I have in the past.”
The record book won’t show it, but there’s value in that knowledge, too.