Ever since the Atlanta Falcons released Darnell Mooney prior to the start of the new league year, questions have surfaced surrounding his new landing spot. Not only was he cut by the Falcons, Ian Cunningham replaced him with Jahan Dotson and Olamide Zaccheus on the first day of free agency.
However, after a turbulent 2025 in Atlanta, the 28-year-old has officially found a new landing spot. According to Ian Rapoport, Mooney is planning to sign with the New York Giants on a one-year deal worth up to $10 million, a respectable deal following the injury-riddled season he just endured.
Instead of catching passes from Michael Penix Jr. like he did the past two seasons, the 2020 fifth-round pick is set to become a new premier weapon for another ascending young QB in New York''s Jaxson Dart, which is the perfect marriage given the Giants' clear need for additional receiver help.
Mooney came up just short of 1,000 receivng yards in 2024, so we know that he's capable of high-level production. Unfortunately, Raheem Morris had him playing through a broken collarbone that hampered his production, but even when he was healthy, his connection with Penix never popped.
Jaxson Dart to reap the rewards of the Darnell Mooney experiment after he signs with the Giants
The Tulane product's career has been defined by high highs and low lows, but at his peak. Mooney is a damn solid pass-catcher. The speedster had an 1,000-yard season with the Chicago Bears in 2021, but has been held under 500 yards on three separate occasions, so there is a lot of risk involved.
The Dirty Birds mainly released him to cut costs and re-tool the receiver room under a new regime, but his lack of consistent production also made him an easy cut candidate. The three-year, $39 million deal he was signed to during the 2024 offseason has aged horribly, so it was time to move on.
And in terms of landing spots go, the Giants are as good as it gets. Dart showed signficantly more in his rookie season than Penix has in both of his NFL seasons combined. They also have an intriguing supporting cast, as Mooney will instantly slot in as the WR2 behind Malik Nabers, especially after WanDale Robinson left New York to follow Brian Daboll to the Titans.
Not only does Big Blue need WR depth, they need upside and speed-- and Mooney brings both of those on an affordable price tag. He was Atlanta's best field-stretching WR in 2024 and had his moments in 2025, but Cunningham knows that Dotson is younger and has a higher ceiling for cheap.
This screams divorce of convenience, especially for Mooney, who isn't making much less in 2026, and gets to play in the bright lights of New York City. And I'm sure the appeal of John Harbaugh didn't hurt, so hopefully he enjoys playing with a young Giants' offense amid his reunion with Matt Nagy--and even has a bounce-back season.