Why the Giants have to be willing to trade Darius Slayton, Azeez Ojulari

Regardless of the outcome of Monday night’s matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers, the New York Giants have to be sellers at the NFL trade deadline, which is just eight days away.

Is there really any other choice? Unlikely to make a playoff run and almost certainly facing the need to find a new young quarterback to build around, the Giants have to be focused on the future.

The two obvious trade candidates for the Giants are wide receiver Darius Slayton and edge defender Azeez Ojulari.

Whenever the idea of trading either player comes up, there is inevitable push back from at least some Giants fans.

Like this:

Or this sort of mixed bag ‘mailbag’ question from Dennis Guadett:

I understand how we might want to trade Slayton for draft capital because he is older and his contract is up.

I don’t understand why Ojulari should be traded. Yes, he is in the final year of his contract, but do you really want to trade away talent at a position that is so critical and hard to get a good player?

So, let me explain my view.

It starts with the fact that both players are free agents at the end of the season who seem unlikely to return to the Giants next season. In fact, that is honestly the main point.

How many fans have criticized GM Joe Schoen for losing players like Saquon Barkley and Xavier McKinney in free agency without compensation rather than trading them and getting something, anything, in return?

You can’t say “don’t trade these players” now, and then wonder later why the Giants get left with nothing when they leave as free agents. Former NFL GM Jeff Diamond told me neither player would likely bring more than a sixth-round pick in return. Isn’t something, though, better than nothing.

Let’s talk about Slayton first.

The 2019 fifth-round pick has outplayed his draft stock. Prior to the arrival of Malik Nabers this year, Slayton was the Giants’ most productive wide receiver in four of his five seasons.

Yet, Slayton has never been fully embraced by the current Giants regime.

Slayton was forced to take a pay cut to stay with the Giants in 2022. Then, he barely played and caught just one ball the first four weeks of the season before injuries forced the Giants to use him and he emerged as their best receiver.

He signed a two-year, $12 million contract to stay with the team, with $4.9 million guaranteed. After again being the Giants’ leader in receiving yards last season, Slayton initially stayed away from voluntary workouts to make the point that he felt underpaid.

Slayton, who came to the Giants in the same draft class as Daniel Jones, has always been the quarterback’s most vocal defender.

Slayton has always been a good soldier and given the Giants his best, whether he has been happy with his situation or not. Considering that Slayton has felt financially undervalued, and that the quarterback he has always supported is likely to be cast out, staying with the Giants is almost certainly not going to be Slayton’s first choice.

Considering the way the Giants have viewed him thus far, I can’t see Schoen entering a bidding war to keep him.

So, with wide receivers being swapped all around the NFL chess board this season, if the Giants can get a draft pick in return for him now, why wouldn’t they do it?

That would net them something, and give them the opportunity to give full playing time to Jalin Hyatt to make a better evaluation of the 2023 third-round pick.

Now, about Ojulari.

I wrote about the fourth-year edge defender last week, when he told me he was “just working” and trying to help his team rather than focusing on the future.

Still, the 24-year-old Ojulari isn’t oblivious to his situation. He knows that with Brian Burns on an expensive long-term contract and Kayvon Thibodeaux having been the 2022 No. 5 overall pick that he will always be the third wheel in the Giants’ edge rotation.

He knows how valuable pass rush is, and that NFL teams will pony up to find it. He knows that as long as he continues to produce while Thibodeaux recuperates from his fractured wrist, his value on the open market goes up.

He knows that there are teams out there that will likely give him both more money than the Giants will be able to and more playing time than they have available.

So, whether the Giants have an adequate short-term replacement for both Thibodeaux and Ojulari isn’t the point.

The point is doing what’s best for the long-term future of the franchise.