Wan’Dale Robinson has always flown under the radar at just 5-foot-8, but the small-and-shifty receiver has stepped up in a big way for the New York Giants this season.
Known for finding the soft spots in zone coverage and turning short slant routes into big plays, Robinson has thrived both in his traditional slot receiver role and as a boundary receiver in 2025.
It begs the question: would the Giants pay him outside receiver money despite having just $17.3 million in cap space this offseason?
Robinson Has Evolved Past Being Just a Slot Receiver
Up to and including last season, Wan’Dale Robinson was solely a safety valve, available for the quarterback when they needed an easy checkdown with nothing available downfield. He averaged just 7.5 yards per reception in 2024, which was the worst in the league among receivers with a minimum of 85 targets.
Without the services of Malik Nabers and with Darius Slayton popping in and out of the lineup of late, Robinson has become a do-it-all receiver for New York. His speed and shiftiness allow him to not only catch slants for first downs but also find open space behind defenders for big plays.
His latest game against the Lions was the greatest example of his evolution. Robinson scored the first touchdown pass, burning past the defense to catch a 39-yard pass off a flea-flicker from Jameis Winston. But he did not stop there, making acrobatic catches to move the chains, using his route-running ability to find open space, and continuing to operate out of the slot as well.
Robinson finished with nine catches for 156 yards and a touchdown, setting a career-high in receiving yards. He is one of two receivers to have more than 140 yards and a touchdown in multiple games this season, with Robinson also hauling in 142 yards and a score in New York’s wild 40-37 overtime loss at the Dallas Cowboys.
The two main differences from the past are his explosiveness and volume, as Robinson is averaging 12 yards per catch. He is first on the Giants with 794 receiving yards on 66 catches, more than doubling Slayton’s production and leading Theo Johnson’s production by a significant margin as well.
Improved Production Has Earned Robinson A Raise
The Giants would be wise to give Robinson a hefty raise over the offseason, as the dynamic slot receiver is set to hit unrestricted free agency after the season ends.
His market value on Over The Cap is north of $21 million per year, and although the Giants will likely not pay him that much, he should certainly command more than the $12 million annually that Darius Slayton got this offseason.
But Robinson is not just catching screen passes anymore. He is breaking the game open with his ability to catch the ball from anywhere, moving the chains from the slot, and picking up yards in bunches as a deep-play threat.
Even with the explosive Malik Nabers returning from injury next season, Robinson has upgraded himself from a WR3 to a WR2, capable of handling the workload of a boundary wide receiver.
And if god forbid, Nabers is not able to return to 100% by Week 1 of 2026, Wan’Dale would be there to pick the offense up. He serves as quality insurance at wide receiver, and retaining him would negate the need for the Giants to draft another pass-catcher, giving New York freedom to pursue an offensive lineman or edge rusher instead.
Despite the Giants having just $17.3 million in cap space this offseason, Joe Schoen has $113 million to work with for 2027. With some restructuring, the Giants can sign Robinson to a major payday and backroll the heavy part of the contract to next year and beyond.
For a player of Robinson’s caliber, the Giants can and should work some magic to keep him around. He can still be Dart’s safety valve, but has evolved into so much more than that, with untimely injuries to the Giants’ top wideouts allowing Wan’Dale to unleash his full potential.
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