It was not an exorbitant amount of money to pay to a young veteran NFL wide receiver but it was too much for the Giants to pay Darius Slayton, given his bottom-of-the-depth-chart standing on the roster. And so, Slayton agreed to a pay cut that will keep him on the team.

Slayton was scheduled to be paid a salary of $2.5 million and count that much on the 2022 salary cap. He will now be paid the veteran minimum salary of $965,000, saving the Giants $1.6 million on the cap. This is not a high-leverage saving in line with the restructuring of defensive lineman Leonard Williams’ deal that slashed $12 million off the salary cap. It does allow Slayton to stay with the team that selected him in the fifth round of the 2019 draft and try to rise up the ladder at receiver.

Slayton will have a chance to earn back his money if he hits certain incentives. He will have to get on the field to achieve these incentives. He currently is listed behind Kenny Golladay, Kadarius Toney, rookie Wan’Dale Robinson, Sterling Shepard, David Sills and Richie James.

The Giants open their season Sunday against the Titans in Nashville and Slayton could be inactive. Seated at his locker after Wednesday’s practice, Slayton redirected every question about his salary reduction into an analysis of the Titans’ defense.

He said this of his role on the team: “Run routes, get open and catch the football.”

Asked how he can avoid being annoyed or frustrated by having his contract reduced, he said, “By doing my job, playing football.”

Slayton was excused from practice on Tuesday to get his contract situation cleared up.

“There’s obviously football stuff, this was the business side of it,” coach Brian Daboll said. “Those guys kind of ironed out, with his representatives and [general manager] Joe [Schoen]. Good to have him back.’’

As a rookie in 2019, Slayton was a pleasant surprise, catching 48 passes for 740 yards and eight touchdowns, emerging as a big-play threat for rookie quarterback Daniel Jones. He had 50 receptions for 751 yards and three touchdowns in 2020 but fell into disfavor last season, as his playing time and production (26-339-2) declined.

There was minimal discussion about trading Slayton, who did not generate much interest around the league. Slayton, 25, does give the Giants an experienced player at a position where they are not exactly stable. Golladay had a sluggish summer, Toney did not play in the preseason and missed practice time with knee and hamstring issues and Shepard is coming off surgery to repair a torn Achilles tendon. Sills has two career NFL receptions. Unlike James, Slayton is not a contributor on special teams.

This move with Slayton gives the Giants about $6 million in salary cap space heading into the season, money they will need to make roster and practice squad moves.

Asked what he wants to show people this season, Slayton said, “Probably just that I’m a good football player. I think I’ve shown that in the past, but I look forward to showing that again and showing that I’m a better player than what I’ve been in the past.’’