The Colts didn’t need long to find out what the Giants eventually learned the hard way about Darius Slayton.
Indianapolis added the veteran receiver for help at the position, but after three weeks, the answer was clear: there wasn’t much of a role for him. Slayton was released after never logging a snap for the Colts in three games.
That’s a much quicker verdict than the one New York reached. The Giants stuck with Slayton through a long, slow slide before finally moving on, even though he had once been one of their more productive pass catchers.
He led the team in receiving yards in both 2022 and 2023, though the bar in New York was hardly high. His best season never got past 816 receiving yards.
The decline built over time. His targets, receptions and receiving yards have gone down every season since 2022, and even in 2025 - when Malik Nabers missed most of the season - Slayton still couldn’t seize a bigger piece of the offense. Wan'Dale Robinson and Theo Johnson handled most of the work instead.
By the time the Giants pared down their receiver group, Slayton kept sliding. He did make the initial 53-man roster, but he was cut before the season opener.
Harbaugh then tried to soften the blow, saying, “He's going to be fine. He's going to land somewhere, he's going to play football somewhere, and we're going to move forward.
That's how football goes. Nothing lasts forever.”
For a brief stretch, “somewhere” was Indianapolis. Then that chance disappeared too.
Even with Laquon Treadwell and 34-year-old Keenan Allen getting starting receiver reps, Slayton never found his way onto the field for the Colts. In the end, they got a shorter look than the Giants did - and came to the same conclusion faster.
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