Darius Slayton Release Costs Giants Nearly $13M

The Giants moved on from Darius Slayton and gained relatively little immediate cap relief while accepting nearly $13 million in 2026 dead money. The tradeoff is obvious: New York decided the roster spot and Slayton’s reduced role mattered more than keeping its longest-tenured player.Follow on Spotify and leave a 5-star rating on Apple Podcasts if you enjoy no-BS Giants debate.Why did the Giants release Darius Slayton despite nearly $13 million in dead money? This looks much more like a football-role decision than a cap-saving move, with Malik Nabers, Darnell Mooney, Malachi Fields and Odell Beckham Jr. reshaping the receiver hierarchy.Drew spends the largest part of the episode on Slayton’s exit and what his seven seasons in New York should actually mean. Slayton finishes his Giants career with 296 receptions, 4,435 yards and 22 touchdowns after arriving as a fifth-round pick. His drops frustrated fans, but his production relative to his draft position and the way he carried himself through years of Giants dysfunction deserve to be part of the conversation too.Was Slayton really no longer worth the roster spot, or did the Giants become too aggressive six days before Week 1?The Giants also made two very different long-term commitments around Jaxson Dart. Jameis Winston and Jon Runyan Jr. are now under contract through 2028. Winston gives Dart a veteran backup and mentor the organization clearly values, while Runyan remains part of the offensive line protecting the Giants’ young quarterback.Joe Schoen also appears to have found the additional veteran defensive lineman he hinted was coming. Jeremy Fowler reported Dean Lowry was expected to join the practice squad, although the Giants had not officially announced the move during the episode. Drew remains far more concerned about the larger issue: whether New York has actually done enough to fix its run defense.Can this defensive front become the identity of the team if the interior still feels like the biggest weakness?Dallas will also enter Week 1 without Tyler Smith after the Pro Bowl guard underwent thumb surgery. T.J. Bass is an experienced replacement, but it is still a downgrade the Giants’ defensive front should be looking to exploit.The Giants continue searching for help at cornerback after working out Jaden Robinson, while Arvell Reese is already being mentioned near the top of the Defensive Rookie of the Year race before playing a regular-season snap. D.J. Reader also brings a simple message into Week 1: “Exit 98’s always closed.”The episode closes with something completely different: the strange Braxton Berrios, Alix Earle and Margarida Corceiro relationship story making the rounds. There is no confirmation Berrios and Corceiro are dating, but the social-media reaction was bizarre enough to earn a few minutes before the show wrapped.Merch: https://2giantgoofballs-shop.fourthwall.com/ Support: https://buymeacoffee.com/2giantgoofballs All episodes: https://2giantgoofballs.buzzsprout.com/Send us Fan MailSupport the show