NY Giants WR Darius Slayton Offers Take on Possible 18-game Season

Giants' Darius Slayton has three things he'd like to see incorproated if the league adds another regular-season game.

New York Giants wide receiver Darius Slayton | Andrew Dieb-Imagn Images

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The NFL has been pushing for several years now to have an 18-game regular season, but the league’s efforts have been met with resistance from the NFL Players Association. 

Eventually, it’s believed that the 18-game proposal will be implemented, and New York Giants receiver Darius Slayton would like to see some concessions made by the team owners.

Slayton, speaking with Ryan Canfield of Fox News, has three main things he’d like to see the league grant the players in return for the added extra game: guaranteed Proven Performance Escalators (PPE), a slightly larger revenue share for the players, and greater investments in training staffs.

Slayton speaks from experience

The 28-year-old receiver has personal experience dealing with all three of these issues and can, therefore, offer an interesting perspective.

Slayton signed a three-year, $36 million contract this past offseason, but before he secured his big payday, the team’s 2019 fifth-round pick was force-fed a bitter pill by the front office.

Slayton once earned a PPE, which is a payment mechanism designed to increase the salary of any player selected in Rounds 3-7 of the NFL Draft if they play a certain number of games.  

Because his cap number rose and the Giants were in a cap bind, general manager Joe Schoen gave Slayton a choice to either take a pay cut or be cut from the team. Slayton ultimately took a pay cut to retain his roster spot, forfeiting money he had earned.

The veteran pass-catcher is no longer operating from a position of desperation following the sizable commitment the organization made to him in March. However, he still wishes to improve the conditions for those currently on rookie deals.

If teams are allowed to renege on these incentives, they may do so to gain cap flexibility. To Slayton's point, if the escalators are going to be included, it makes little sense for organizations to hold the power to waive them.

The NFL may have to make a firm judgment on the issue: either enforce the PFEs when applicable or exclude them from the contract from the outset. 

Slayton is also looking to give players a bigger piece of the league's infinite pie, specifically an additional 1 to 1.5 percent of the NFL's revenue share, which would increase the number to approximately 49.5 percent.

"I think even if we get to like 49 and a half, that 1% in that instance, you're talking about hundreds of millions of dollars," Slayton told Canfield. 

"All the places that that (additional money) could go, that 1% is very, very valuable. That's why they're holding on to it so tight."

If the league rakes in an extra week's worth of revenue, it only makes sense that the NFL Players Association will seek a monetary boost like the one Slayton is suggesting.

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Will owners loosen the purse strings a little more?

New York Giants President and CEO John Mara stands | Julian Leshay Guadalupe/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Staying with the theme of maximizing value, proper body maintenance can ensure that athletes remain impactful on the field. The Giants’ training room and training staff earned B- and B grades, respectively, in the annual NFLPA team report cards. 

Football is already a physically grueling sport that leaves a visible and lasting mark on many who dedicate their lives to it. An extra game may require additional care from the training department and, therefore, more resources to provide that care.

"I'm on a team that does probably one of the best jobs in the league, but I just know for a fact, like just listening to guys across the league, that could certainly be higher," Slayton said.

"If you wanted people's bodies to hold up, that's a department where you could pour more money into and at least help guys more."

While it is important to be prepared for these types of conversations, Slayton and the Giants' primary focus is on navigating next season's 17-game schedule, which is the most challenging in the NFL on paper.

The seventh-year wide receiver, who recorded 39 receptions for 573 yards and two touchdowns during the 2024-25 campaign, will play a key role in New York's offense.

Perhaps if he posts big numbers with new starting quarterback Russell Wilson, Slayton will have a little more clout if and when he formally presents his aforementioned ideas to the NFL Players Association.