The New York Giants need more pass-catchers, especially if they lose quality slot receiver Wan’Dale Robinson in free agency. An intriguing possibility is about to come on the market with the Atlanta Falcons planning to release Darnell Mooney.
The 28-year-old Mooney had a down year for the Falcons in 2025. He had just 32 receptions for 443 yards and a touchdown in 15 games, with career lows in catch percentage (44.4), success rate (38.9%), yards per target (6.2), and yards after catch per reception (2.3). He also had a career-worst 6.9% drop rate.
Mooney was set to count $18.4 million against Atlanta’s salary cap.
A fifth-round pick by the Chicago Bears in 2020, the six-year veteran will turn 29 during the season. Mooney has averaged 51 receptions and 671 yards per season, with a yards per catch of 13.8. Mooney was selected when Giants offensive coordinator Matt Nagy was Bears’ head coach, and had his only 1,000-yard receiving season under Nagy in 2021.
For comparison, Darius Slayton has averaged 42 receptions and 633 yards per season, with a yards per catch of 15.0.
Dave Choate of The Falcoholic wrote this about Mooney’s release:
Mooney’s ballooning cap hit in 2026 always made it likely he’d be a cap casualty, but he was supposed to help lift the Falcons to the playoffs in 2024 and 2025. Instead, he turned in a great season in a doomed year with Kirk Cousins’ fade and the defensive collapse in 2024, with 64 receptions for 992 yards and five touchdowns. He followed that up by breaking his collarbone in the summer of 2025—something the team hid—and battling various ailments, rust, and simple ineffectiveness as he managed just 32 receptions for 443 yards and a touchdown last season. Like many of Atlanta’s moves over the past two seasons, this one didn’t work out. Given his brilliant 2024 and the team’s mismanagement of his injury, it’s easy and fair to blame the Falcons more than the player for that outcome.
If he’s fully healthy, it goes without saying that Mooney will land a nice deal elsewhere and has a chance to thrive again. He’s a big-time deep threat when he’s rolling and will be 29 this year, and some team is likely to hand him a solid short-term deal to see if he can regain his 2024 form and be a high-end WR2. I wouldn’t bet against him, personally.
Mooney is on the smaller side at 5-foot-11, 180 pounds but has played far more snaps in his career on the outside than in the slot.
If the Giants are looking for a mid-tier option to add to their wide receiver room, Mooney could be a somewhat inexpensive possibility.
Your thoughts, Giants fans?
