The Giants are without Malik Nabers for the season’s remainder, and they faced the Eagles without Darius Slayton. While New York managed to upset Philadelphia anyway, the team has Jaxson Dart‘s development to consider.
We heard recently the Giants have done due diligence on a wide receiver trade ahead of the Nov. 4 deadline, but they may be aiming higher than previously known. The team is believed to be going “big-game hunting” at the position, SNY.tv’s Connor Hughes notes.
With an eye on accelerating Dart’s progress, per Hughes, Joe Schoen appears interested in conducting a thorough investigation of the market. The Giants retained their first-round pick in the Dart trade, giving up their 2026 third-rounder in a deal that also cost them a 2025 second, and hold picks in Rounds 2, 4, 5 and 6 in next year’s draft.
One of the NFL’s most consistently subpar teams over the past decade, the Giants have made a few seller’s trades at the deadline. They made an exception in 2019, adding Leonard Williams despite sitting in a clear seller’s position. That turned out to be a solid move, as Williams became an impact defender with the Giants during a four-year period. Williams was a rental at the time, but the Giants slapped the franchise tag on him in 2020. They retagged him in 2021, leading to a player-friendly extension days later.
It would stand to reason the Giants will be interested in adding a wideout with some more control left on his contract. Although it is not known specifically who the team is targeting, Hughes names Chris Olave, Jaylen Waddle and Jakobi Meyers as potential options. Each is attached to teams expected to sell, and both Olave and Waddle are signed beyond 2025 (Meyers is in a contract year). Though, other teams will surely be in on all three — if any is indeed dangled in trades — and it would take plenty to pry Olave from New Orleans or Waddle from Miami.
The Dolphins have been resistant to moving Waddle in the past, keeping him off the table during Jonathan Taylor talks in 2023, and are expected to cut Tyreek Hill in 2026. That would make Waddle’s presence more important. New Orleans picked up Olave’s fifth-year option and have seen him bounce back from a concussion-marred 2024 season. The Saints are prepared to listen in an effort to accumulate draft capital, however. The team did not budge on Olave over the summer.
The Giants re-signed Slayton on a three-year, $36MM deal in March; they have Wan’Dale Robinson in a contract year. While Jalin Hyatt is signed through 2026, the former third-round pick has not shown much as a pro. Nabers’ rookie pact runs through 2027, and barring major complications on his ACL recovery, that deal should be expected to be pushed through 2028 via the fifth-year option. Before a fifth-year option is factored into the Dart equation, the QB’s rookie accord runs through 2028.
Nabers has not undergone surgery yet, with NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo indicating the standout receiver is building strength and mobility around the torn ligament first. The surgery will take place in the coming weeks. This timetable reminds of Saquon Barkley‘s in 2020, when weeks passed between the then-Giants RB’s ACL tear and surgery. As of now, a return by training camp is expected.