Howie Roseman makes first chess move in what could be an offseason filled with tough decisions for the Eagles
General manager Howie Roseman and the Philadelphia Eagles have made their first tough off-season move to free up cap space. ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that the Eagles are releasing six-time Pro Bowl cornerback Darius Slay. Schefter followed up his report that Slay is a designated post-June 1 release, which saves the Eagles $4.3 million against the […]
General manager Howie Roseman and the Philadelphia Eagles have made their first tough off-season move to free up cap space.
ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that the Eagles are releasing six-time Pro Bowl cornerback Darius Slay.
Schefter followed up his report that Slay is a designated post-June 1 release, which saves the Eagles $4.3 million against the cap.
*Editor's Note: A "designated post-June 1 cut" is when an NFL team releases a player before June 1, but the salary cap penalty is spread out through multiple years. This helps a team manage their salary cap space more and lets the player sign with a new team immediately.
Slay, 34, was originally drafted by the Detroit Lions in 2013. After seven seasons in Detroit, Slay was traded to Philly in 2020 and immediately signed a three-year, $20 million extension with the Birds.
What is next for Slay remains to be seen, but the veteran still has plenty of juice left in the tank. In 14 games for the Eagles last fall, Slay racked up 49 tackles, three tackles for loss, 13 pass defended, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery.
Slay did acknowledge last month that he knew the Eagles had business moves to make and made it clear that if he couldn't stay in Philly, then he would be open to returning to Detroit.
"I've got one more left (on my contract), but you know how that works," Slay said on the St. Brown Podcast in February. "Whatever they want to do, I might re-sign back, hopefully. If I ain't, we'll see what I'm doing because I do want to play one more year, for sure.
"If it is, it is. If it ain't, it ain't. For sure, the two spots I would love to always be at is Philly or Detroit. The main two, the main ones I'd love to be at."
In five seasons with the Eagles, Slay appeared in 74 games and logged nine interceptions, 56 pass breakups, and three fumble recoveries.
