Giants need to focus on the future and sell at the NFL trade deadline. Which players can they move?

New York Giants co-owner John Mara expressed his confidence in general manager Joe Schoen and coach Brian Daboll last week. That should encourage the Giants' decision-makers to be forward-thinking as the Nov. 5 trade deadline approaches.

Losing teams around the league — Tennessee, Las Vegas, Cleveland — have already begun selling assets to rivals. The Giants have remained on the trade side so far, but a loss at Pittsburgh on Monday night would drop them to 2-6. At this point, any hope of reviving the season would be lost, so the focus would have to shift to acquiring draft picks for players not in the team's plans. With the Giants certainly looking for a quarterback in next year's NFL Draft, it's important to build a stockpile of picks to offer as many assets as possible in a potential trade-up.

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Schoen has proven to be an active trader. At the 2022 trade deadline, he traded wide receiver Kadarius Toney to the Kansas City Chiefs for third and sixth round picks. He then sent defensive lineman Leonard Williams to the Seattle Seahawks for a 2024 second-round pick and a 2025 fifth-round pick at last season's trade deadline. The Giants ate up $9.4 million of Williams' remaining $10 million salary to facilitate the trade.

Schoen resisted a complete purge last year, even though the team had a 2-6 record at the trade deadline. He retained running back Saquon Barkley and safety Xavier McKinney, and both players left the team in free agency.

Schoen knew that trading two of the team's best players would send a message to the locker room that the season was over. He's not considering such considerations this season, as none of the team's top players represent a realistic trade option.

Instead, Schoen should consider his intent to sign impending free agents like wide receiver Darius Slayton and outside linebacker Azeez Ojulari. Schoen also needs to manage these players' interest in returning to the Giants once they hit the market after the season.

If Schoen doesn't plan on paying market price for Slayton or Ojulari, or if he believes they're looking for a fresh start with the highest bidder in free agency, he shouldn't hesitate to make a deal to add draft assets. Here's a look at the Giants' trade chips and what they could expect in return for a deal:

WR Darius Slayton

Cap hit: $8.0 million
Effects on the cap: The Giants would gain $1.8 million in cap savings by trading Slayton.
Expected trading value: Sixth or seventh round pick
Possible fits: Steelers, Buccaneers, Chargers, Lions, 49ers, Chiefs

The wide receiver trade market has been active. The Titans traded DeAndre Hopkins to the Chiefs for a conditional 2025 fifth-round pick. The Chiefs inherited $5.5 million of the remaining salary for Hopkins, who is in the final year of his contract. The Raiders traded Davante Adams to the New York Jets for a conditional third-round pick in 2025. Adams, who is under contract through 2026, restructured his contract after the move, making his cap hit $3.2 million for the remainder of this season. The Browns traded Amari Cooper and a 2025 sixth-round pick to the Buffalo Bills for a 2025 third-round pick and a 2026 seventh-round pick. Cooper, who is in the final year of his contract, had his contract with the Browns restructured to the minimum, leaving his cap hit with the Bills at just $806,667.

These receivers are superior to the 27-year-old Slayton, so the return on these trades explains why one NFL executive believes Slayton can't get a pick until late on the third day.

“He can still run,” said the executive director. “He can run away from people. I think that might be his role. He's probably a better route runner, and I think his hands have improved. What he is is an NFL receiver.”

DJ STARTS TO SLAYTON 🚀

📺: CBS pic.twitter.com/Ei9YalCAPD

– New York Giants (@Giants) October 6, 2024

Slayton showed he can be productive with eight catches for 122 yards and a touchdown in a Week 5 win over the Seahawks when No. 1 receiver Malik Nabers was sidelined with a concussion. Slayton would count just $1.8 million against the cap for an acquiring team, which could make him more attractive than other receivers on the trading block.

Slayton scored minimally when Nabers was on the field. Trading Slayton could open the door to playing time for 2023 third-round pick Jalin Hyatt, who has not been a factor this season. The Giants could also promote veteran receiver Isaiah Hodgins from the practice squad to offset a departure from Slayton.

Slayton expressed dissatisfaction with his compensation this offseason after signing a two-year, $12 million contract with the Giants in 2023, so he will clearly be looking for a payday this offseason. If he's not part of the Giants' plans, he should be traded, even though the return will be minimal.

“He should be a new signing that strengthens your team and you feel good about it because he has proven that as a No. 2 or No. 3 he is capable of playing at our level and it wasn't very expensive to acquire,” the executive said.

OLB Azeez Ojulari

Cap hit: $2.2 million
Effects on the cap: The Giants would gain $880,000 in cap savings by trading Ojulari.
Expected trading value: Sixth or seventh round pick
Possible fits: Lions, bears, hawks, ravens, bills

Ojulari had been relegated to a reserve role at the start of the season as the third edge rusher behind Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux. But Thibodeaux's broken wrist opened up a chance for the 24-year-old Ojulari to get back into the starting lineup, and he responded with three sacks in the last two games. It's perfect timing for Ojulari, who will enter free agency after the final year of his rookie contract.

Two sacks in less than two minutes for Azeez Ojulari 🔥

🎥 @NFL pic.twitter.com/XIWKktSg7l

– The Athletic NFL (@TheAthleticNFL) October 14, 2024

Injuries were the main obstacle in Ojulari's career after he recorded eight sacks as a rookie. In his injury-plagued second season, he had 5.5 sacks in seven games.

In an ideal world, the Giants would retain Ojulari as their premier third-edge rusher. But productive pass rushers get paid, and he will likely seek a larger role in free agency. Still, his trade value may be limited by his injury history and lack of production in recent seasons. But he's a bargain, costing an acquiring team just $880,000 for the remainder of the season.

“He really wasn’t a consistent producer,” the executive said. “But people always need a head start. As part of a rotation, I could see someone doing a six or a seven (trade) or maybe a player-for-player swap.”

Cap hit: $6.7 million
Effects on the cap: The Giants would gain $547,222 in cap savings this season by trading Neal. The cap through 2025 would incur a dead money charge of $3.8 million from the remaining signing bonus portion of his rookie contract.
Expected trading value: Late round pick swap
Possible fits: Any team willing to take a flyer

Neal was stuck on the bench even after left tackle Andrew Thomas suffered a season-ending foot injury in Week 6. The Giants added 2022 third-round pick Josh Ezeudu at left tackle last week and journeyman Chris Hubbard, who was de-signed from the 49ers' practice squad, at left tackle last week against the Steelers.

It appears the Giants have no intention of playing Neal, who hasn't seen the field since suffering an ankle injury in Week 9 last season. When the Giants are done with Neal, a trade cannot be ruled out. The problem is that the return for the seventh overall pick in the 2022 draft would be minuscule.

“The offensive line game is just so problematic throughout the league,” the general manager said. “If someone thought he was a guard, I could imagine a pick swap. You get Evan Neal and a seven for a six.”

Neal still has one year left on his rookie contract. He's guaranteed $4.1 million next season, which could limit his appeal as a reclamation project.

If the Giants can only force a late-round pick swap for Neal, they should simply move him to guard next offseason and see if he can thrive at a new position.

(Photos of Azeez Ojulari and Darius Slayton: Vincent Carchietta / Imagn Images and Luke Hales / Getty Images)