NFL Trade Rumors: Giants Asked for ‘Too Much’ in Talks For Azeez Ojulari, Slayton

Julia StumbaughNovember 6, 2024

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Wide receiver Darius Slayton and linebacker Azeez Ojulari are still New York Giants past the 2024 trade deadline in part because general manager Joe Schoen’s asking price was too high, according to ESPN’s Dan Graziano and Jeremy Fowler.

The Giants got calls about both players, but teams pursuing Ojulari said that Schoen “was asking for too much and never really moved, as he was only going to deal if he got his price” of at least a fifth-round pick, according to Graziano and Fowler.

The Pittsburgh Steelers were one of the teams interested in Slayton, who also stayed put at the deadline, per Fowler.

Both Ojulari and Slayton are set to hit unrestricted free agency after this season. Not trading them means the Giants risk losing them for nothing one year after losing star running back Saquon Barkley to free agency.

Ojulari has recorded 6.0 sacks and 26 combined tackles, including seven for loss, in nine appearances and four starts for the Giants so far this season. He could be bumped down the New York depth chart when Kayvon Thibodeaux returns from an IR stint following wrist surgery.

Slayton has meanwhile hauled in 32 catches for 469 yards and one touchdown as a second option for Daniel Jones behind rookie Malik Nabers. He was placed in concussion protocol following a Week 9 loss to the visiting Washington Commanders on Sunday and has yet to be cleared, which could have potentially impacted his trade value.

The Giants dropped to 2-7 with the loss to the Commanders, putting them at the bottom of the NFC and firmly in a projected position of being sellers ahead of the Tuesday deadline.

The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reported two days before the deadline that it was “known around the league” that Ojulari was on the trade block, while NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo said on Monday that it was known it would take “more” than a sixth- or seventh-round pick to secure Ojulari.

Apparently Ojulari, who is on pace to beat the career-high sacks total he set during his 8.0-sack rookie campaign in 2021, wasn’t enough to net that price. As Fowler put it, the trade that sent outside linebacker Baron Browning from the Denver Broncos to the back of the Arizona Cardinals rotation for a fifth-rounder might have “diluted the market a bit.”

On the other hand, Dan Duggan of The Athletic reported on Wednesday that a league source said the Giants “didn’t seriously entertain offers for Slayton.”

As Duggan noted, head coach Brian Daboll took over playcalling duties ahead of the 2024 season, and so may have had motivation in order to keep a wideout who has proved to be a key part of the Giants’ offense. Duggan also reported that the Giants have not yet spoken with Slayton about an extension, however.

Instead of trading for Slayton, the Steelers ended up dealing a 2025 fifth-round pick to the New York Jets instead in order to acquire wide receiver Mike Williams.

Slayton’s status remains uncertain, but Ojulari is likely to start again with Thibodeaux still sidelined, when the Giants return to action on Sunday for a road game against the Carolina Panthers.