Giants Identify the Excused Absence of the Wide Receiver

To the surprise of Giants insiders, wide receiver Darius Slayton of the New York Giants was excused from practise on Tuesday.

[{"selector":"#anim-54dbebf5-22fe-4779-8e31-3234e987f6c2 [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(28.92089830959283%, 0, 0)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0)"]},"delay":5,"duration":3000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-af527bcc-c79c-4fae-b740-2736f0ee188d","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":500,"duration":1500,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

However, the explanation provided is extremely intriguing. Giants head coach Brian Daboll announced to the media on Wednesday that Slayton had been excused from practise.

[{"selector":"#anim-2eea5e82-9c7d-4332-ad8d-6fe5063a3fd5 [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(14.356435427280589%, 0, 0)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0)"]},"delay":5,"duration":3000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-f2ef4201-012e-487a-867a-a211855b9f79","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":500,"duration":1500,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

The Giants at least seem to have gotten a lot out of that meeting.

[{"selector":"#anim-25969dfe-4cb1-4bd4-90a3-8eba47589246 [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0%, 0, 0)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0)"]},"delay":5,"duration":3000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-93532280-f323-4d85-b72b-0b2cf4252f5f","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":500,"duration":1500,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

Slayton returned to the Giants for practise on Wednesday, but his contract had changed. He reportedly consented to a pay reduction in exchange for his return to the group.

[{"selector":"#anim-f3a30dac-cc05-4458-974b-4a63a74bb117 [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(12.499999772451451%, 0, 0)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0)"]},"delay":5,"duration":3000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-ffa4d276-6a23-4d2b-bfaf-d28a1001dc42","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":500,"duration":1500,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

Slayton will start this season with a base salary of $2.54 million. But by releasing him, the Giants could almost completely free up that amount of cap space.

[{"selector":"#anim-0bce4c76-6b7e-4ab4-a182-43ee2f1c7a3e [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(24.038461338010116%, 0, 0)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0)"]},"delay":5,"duration":3000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-25e011dd-8bf2-4b72-b704-62e572066a1b","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":500,"duration":1500,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

Slayton's roster position for this season will likely be preserved by this contract revision.

[{"selector":"#anim-0e14806c-1a94-4c31-a76d-8e3f13fba98e [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(14.360351346239995%, 0, 0)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0)"]},"delay":5,"duration":3000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-c7d9aeed-354e-453e-a527-ca7cc44327da","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":500,"duration":1500,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

After a respectable career at Auburn, Darius Slayton was selected by the Giants in the fifth round of the 2019 NFL Draft. He seemed to be on the edge of stardom in his first two seasons.

[{"selector":"#anim-6e255b4b-898f-4751-b4f1-9215ed6fda25 [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(27.499999863470876%, 0, 0)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0)"]},"delay":5,"duration":3000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-799067c6-38bc-4724-968f-0da01437c1d0","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":500,"duration":1500,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

Over the course of his first two seasons, Slayton totaled 98 receptions for 1,491 yards and 11 touchdowns. But during the previous season, his output significantly decreased.

[{"selector":"#anim-10fb18a4-375d-490e-bc84-fb7b7e4ad894 [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(7.820737881140472%, 0, 0)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0)"]},"delay":5,"duration":3000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-469d1c6c-4187-47b3-ba29-a367c85dda7f","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":500,"duration":1500,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

The Giants had one of the worst passing attacks in the league, therefore he caught less than half of his targets.

[{"selector":"#anim-fd93f936-8784-428c-b13e-b74cccf88eb4 [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(34.179687404002955%, 0, 0)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0)"]},"delay":5,"duration":3000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-4e776909-2980-4eba-b716-2abc10d7df64","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":500,"duration":1500,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]