The Atlanta Falcons released Darnell Mooney earlier this offseason because relying on a woefully inconsistent player to contribute consistently wasn't worth the constant frustration--especially when they managed to sign Jahan Dotson for a fraction of the price to be their WR2 behind Drake London.
Once he was cut, it didn't take long for Mooney to reunite with his former OC Matt Nagy with the New York Giants. The hope was that he would step in as one of their top receiving options behind Malik Nabers, but third-round rookie Malachi Fields and Isaiah Likely have lapped him in the pecking order.
Right now, Darnell Mooney looks like the WR3 (if that) in New York, while Dotson is tearing it up in training camp as Atlanta's new WR2. As if we needed any more validation that the Falcons made the right decision, a Giants beat reporter is saying "hold my beer" because of a surprising new update.
The New York Giants are already considering trading WR Darnell Mooney
The 28-year-old landed with Big Blue on a one-year, $3 million deal, and it sounds like Joe Schoen could be tempted to part with such a minor investment. USA Today's Art Stapleton reported that teams around the league have checked in about trading for Mooney--and it makes a lot of sense.
The veteran wideout came up just eight yards short of a 1,000-yard campaign in 2024, and likely would've went over 1k had he played in the Falcons' Week 18 game against Carolina. But that also would've marked his second thousand-yard season in his career, so there would be a market for him after he had some bright moments in OTAs.
If the Giants don't see themselves as a playoff team right now, they'd be better off giving more run to a younger option in Fields in hopes of developing him. And they still have guys like Darius Slayton, Calvin Austin, Braxton Berrios, and Odell Beckham Jr. who can make up their depth behind Nabers.
It's a sad update for a player who was on thin ice with the Dirty Birds for pretty much all of last season, but he was playing through a broken collarbone. Now that he's healthy again, it's not insane to suggest the right situation--and the right quarterback--can unlock the player we've seen in the past.
Think about a team like the Houston Texans, who lost Jayden Higgins for the season due to an ACL tear and are looking for field-stretchers in their receiver room. They can't trust Tank Dell after his gruesome injury and Jaylin Noel is unproven, so the Tulane product could be a WR2 behind Nico Collins for a team with more playoff aspirations.
It's not like the New York Giants would consider outright releasing Darnell Mooney like the Atlanta Falcons did, but for the right offer, it's not hard to understand the rationale here.
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