Sean McDermott breaks silence on the Darius Slay situation — and his words should resonate strongly with Bills Mafia
Sean McDermott didn’t hold back with his response.
By now, everyone knows about the situation surrounding cornerback Darius Slay and what happened between him and the Buffalo Bills. It was a wild 24 hours in Western New York, and not in a good way.
For those who may not know, Slay was picked up off waivers by the Bills after being released by the Pittsburgh Steelers. To make room for him on the roster, the team waived cornerback Ja’Marcus Ingram, who was picked off from waivers by the Houston Texans.
Slay decided he didn’t want to report to Buffalo, citing potential retirement. He spoke with Emmanuel Acho on “The Speakeasy” and dove into why he wasn’t interested in coming to Buffalo. One of the main reasons was the weather, which, honestly, was a bit lame from the veteran.
Buffalo lost out on two players in the span of 24 hours, and it’s something that head coach Sean McDermott was asked about on Friday. Needless to say, McDermott wasn’t too thrilled with how things went down.
“Yeah, I mean it’s unfortunate that that unfolded and went down the way it did,” McDermott said. “You know, I’m a huge Ja’Marcus Ingram fan and will always be. So I’m always gonna be in his corner and want the best for him. So that’s really where my mind is right now, and you know, I’m getting myself ready to coach this game.”
McDermott didn’t waste any time with his comments about Slay
McDermott wants to move on from this debacle as quickly as possible. McDermott was asked whether he was still open to Slay playing in Buffalo and if any conversations were still being had.
“I’m really gonna focus on our team right now,” McDermott said. “So, focus on our team and coaching this game in a couple of days here. I wish him the best, him and his family.”
Losing Ingram really hit McDermott hard, as the head coach was asked once more about what it was like to lose him. McDermott was asked whether the team hoped to get him back after being forced to let him go to make room for Slay.
“Uh, yeah. Yup, for sure,” McDermott said. “For sure.”
Fortunately, the Bills’ front office moved on quickly from Slay and gave fans a reason to be excited by picking up former first-round pick and safety Darnell Savage from the Washington Commanders. While it didn’t work out with Slay yet, the team is still maneuvering its roster.
It’s important to note that in all of this, Buffalo still retains Slay’s rights. The team placed him on the reserve/did not report list, meaning that if Slay decides to play football, it has to be for the Bills. Now, the two parties could reach an agreement, but until then, that’s how this all shakes out.
Buffalo can’t rewrite the past 48 hours, but it can control what happens next. The Slay disaster was over before it began, and Ingram’s departure stung, but the Bills found an immediate counterpunch in a former first-round pick. As the roster reshuffle settles, all eyes now turn to how this team responds when it matters most in a crucial part of the season.
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