John Harbaugh explains why the Giants decided to move on from veteran wide receiver Darius Slayton despite his past contributions.
Darius Slayton was recently released from the roster, and many saw it as a mistake by the New York Giants. He was the longest-tenured player for the Giants, and the decision came as a shock to many.
Head coach John Harbaugh, however, has a completely different explanation for the team’s decision to cut the veteran wide receiver. Speaking to the media recently, Harbaugh dropped the truth bomb about the roster move.
“I watch practice every day, you know,” he said. “And I see a team that we’re building going forward. So, looking back on past stats is not the metric that we’re using. We’re looking at what we’re going to be going forward, the type of team we want to build, and Darius has been great. I mean, he, he’s a great guy. He worked hard; he worked extremely hard to get himself back from the injury.”
John Harbaugh on why the Giants cut Darius Slayton:
“Looking back on past stats is not the metric that we’re using. We’re looking at what we’re going to be going forward. Darius has been great, he’s a great guy – he’s going to be fine.” pic.twitter.com/WimBhKZlNE
— SNY Giants (@SNYGiants) September 9, 2026
According to him, the Giants’ current roster decisions are not linked to players’ past performances only. He watches players closely during the practice, and building the roster he envisions required making difficult personnel cuts
Harbaugh also talked about Slayton’s sports hernia injury and his recovery timeline, and discussed that it was the best decision for both parties involved
“I don’t think even he feels like he’s fully back yet, probably, but he will be at some point in time, and what we’re standing right now is just not the best thing for us…. I don’t know, we’ll see how it goes, he’s gonna be fine. He’s gonna land somewhere, he’s going to play football somewhere, and we’re going to move forward. So that’s how football goes, and nothing lasts forever,” Harbaugh further added.
With Slayton now out of New York, wide receivers Odell Beckham Jr. and Darnell Mooney, alongside Malik Nabers and rookie Malachi Fields, are set to fill the receiving rotation for the Giants.
Darius Slayton was recently released from the roster, and many saw it as a mistake by the New York Giants. He was the longest-tenured player for the Giants, and the decision came as a shock to many. Head coach John Harbaugh, however, has a completely different explanation for the team’s decision to cut the veteran wide receiver.