There has been much speculation as to who the New York Giants No. 2 wide receiver will be next to star Malik Nabers this season. However, the team has since answered that question with maybe a bit of a surprising pick to some. Veteran Darnell Mooney is listed as the Giants second starting wide receiver on their depth chart ahead of Week 1.
Mooney, 28, is certainly deserving of the role as he has been able to establish a role for himself at every stop of his NFL career thus far, but he is coming off one of the worst seasons of his career. In 2025, Mooney finished the season with just 32 catches for 443 yards and one touchdown with the Atlanta Falcons. It's also safe to assume that many Giants fans were hoping to see more action from 2026 third-round rookie Malachi Fields or even returning star Odell Beckham.
That doesn't mean Fields or Beckham won't see meaningful snaps on a regular basis, though. The Giants currently only have those four wide receivers on their 53-man roster, so there should be enough snaps to go around. The Giants also have several wide receivers on their practice squad, including veterans Braxton Berrios and Charlie Jones, who could be called up on game days when needed.
However, given the construction of New York's roster, the naming of Mooney as the team's No. 2 wide receiver could be merely a technicality. Mooney began his professional career as a fifth-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears. Over his first four seasons in the league, he racked up 213 catches for 2,593 yards and 11 touchdowns.
He then signed a three-year, $39 million free agent contract with the Atlanta Falcons in 2024. He has recorded another 96 catches for 1,435 yards and six touchdowns since then. The Falcons released Mooney this offseason, and he joined the Giants on a one-year, $10 million deal.
A native of Gadsden, Alabama, Mooney played college football at Tulane, where he had 154 catches for 2,572 yards and 19 touchdowns from 2016-19.
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