Dropping to 2-6 Monday night, the Giants have the look of a seller at yet another trade deadline. Though, the team’s two clear trade chips may not be too easy to acquire.
The Giants have swatted away Darius Slayton trade rumors this summer, but they did not agree to a major contract adjustment despite the sixth-year wide receiver’s push for one this offseason. Slayton remains in a walk year and would not be expensive to acquire, based on barely $1MM remaining in 2024 base salary. Azeez Ojulari has also come up as a trade candidate, with teams undoubtedly monitoring the contract-year edge rusher on a contract-year tear. Ojulari is tied to a second-round rookie deal.
New York has completed some notable seller’s trades at recent deadlines, and a route back to the playoffs will be difficult to complete. A week away from the deadline, however, NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo writes the Giants would need to be “blown away” by an offer to obtain either Slayton or Ojulari.
Although the Giants do not appear prepared to merely take what they can get for the dependable wideout and resurgent edge rusher, it would stand to reason both players are available at a price. Slayton is playing out a two-year, $12MM deal and, after leading the Giants in receiving yardage four times since his 2019 rookie year, the longtime Daniel Jones target would appeal to clubs who have suffered injuries at receiver or contenders who could simply use a WR2 upgrade. He has 29 receptions for 420 yards this season. Yet to post an 800-plus-yard slate, Slayton is on pace for a career-best season.
Ojulari, who registered eight sacks as a rookie but had been less productive over the past two seasons, supplied solid pressure in the Giants’ loss to the Steelers to run his sack count to six. That has helped the Giants lead the NFL with 35 despite losing Kayvon Thibodeaux to a wrist injury. Thibodeaux, however, is expected to come off IR — being first eligible to do so next week — and return Ojulari to a rotational role in a now-Brian Burns-fronted OLB corps. With Burns on a megadeal and Thibodeaux in play to stay on his rookie pact through 2026 via the fifth-year option, the Giants may not be able to afford to re-sign Ojulari.
The Giants will need to weigh the offers that come in now against what could potentially be had in terms of 2026 compensatory picks — depending on how active the team is during the 2025 free agency period — next year. Though, a trade would help bolster the the team’s 2025 draft arsenal. Waiting for 2026 picks may not be of interest to Joe Schoen, who is on the hot seat. John Mara‘s recent vote of confidence notwithstanding, the third-year Giants GM may not be overly interested in trades that weaken his 2024 roster, either.
A Giants loss to the NFC East-leading Commanders in Week 9 would drop them to 2-7, and it would be difficult for teams to believe they won’t sell at that point. Based on where the team resides in the standings and the contract-year statuses of the trade chips, Slayton and Ojulari will be two will be key names to monitor ahead of the Nov. 5 deadline.