49ers proposed trade lands $12 million Giants star to solve injury crisis | Sporting News

Every NFL season, there’s a talented team that has everything go wrong. That team could be the San Francisco 49ers in 2024.

The 3-4 record is one thing, but the rash of injuries the 49ers have dealt with is entirely another. Superstar Christian McCaffrey hasn’t appeared in a game yet, the defense has lost key players like Talanoa Hufanga and Javon Hargrave, and in Week 7, Brandon Aiyuk was lost for the season with a torn ACL.

Aiyuk’s injury was a new low, as the 49ers were left with Deebo Samuel and a ragtag bunch of characters rounding out their rotation. Head coach Kyle Shanahan has been known to scheme up an offense greater than the sum of its parts, but this receiver depth chart could be the weakest he’s ever dealt with.

With that in mind, a trade for at least one receiver before the Nov. 5 deadline makes sense for these 49ers. Jacob Camenker of USA Today named New York Giants wideout Darius Slayton, who is in the final year of his $12 million contract, as a fit for San Francisco.

“Slayton (would be) a solid target, as he could share time with Pearsall as the team’s No. 3 receiver and provide the team insurance in case of injury. After all, Samuel, Jennings and Pearsall have already missed time during the 2024 NFL season,” Camenker said.

“Slayton would add a speed element the team otherwise might be missing without Aiyuk. The long-time Giants receiver has caught 25 passes for 312 yards and a touchdown this season while largely working as Daniel Jones’ No. 3 receiver.”

In six seasons with the Giants, Slayton has compiled 3,636 receiving yards in 83 games, including 58 starts. His career-high in yards in a season is 770, but he’s topped 700 in every season in which he has played at least 14 games.

At 27, Slayton has never been a star, and he’s also barely played any meaningful late-season games. The Giants’ surprise playoff run in 2022 was the only time Slayton has even sniffed the postseason, and he played his best football that year, setting a career-high in yards per target.

Returning to intense, playoff-caliber football could unlock the best version of Slayton. And it could cost very little for the 49ers to acquire him, seeing as he’s likely going to leave New York this spring anyway.

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