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Darius Slay, Philadelphia Eagles

Eagles’ Darius Slay Makes Major Announcement About his Playing Future

The Philadelphia Eagles invested major resources at cornerback during the 2024 NFL Draft, selecting Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean in the first two rounds last April.

Both of the Eagles’ rookie cornerbacks made major impacts on Philadelphia’s Super Bowl run, including Mitchell receiving Defensive Rookie of The Year votes and DeJean’s interception return for a touchdown a critical play in a 40-22 blowout over the Kansas City Chiefs to clinch the Lombardi.

So, it would be easy to believe that even though veteran Darius Slay still played at a high level in 2024 that Philadelphia may prefer to pass the torch to their young defensive backs, entirely, in 2025, Slay has other ideas.

Eagles CB Darius Slay Opens up About His Future

Philadelphia Eagles Pittsburgh's Steelers
Dec 15, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Darius Slay Jr. (2) and Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Darnell Washington (80) push and shove each other after a play during the first quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Slay, 34, posted 49 total tackles with one interception last season, his 15th in the NFL and fifth in an Eagles uniform.

The six-foot and 190-pound cornerback, who now owns a Super Bowl ring, says he hopes to play at least one more season, before hanging them up.

“If it is, it is. If it ain’t, it ain’t,” Slay said, during a recent appearance on the St. Brown Podcast. “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.”

Philadelphia Eagles, Darius Slay
Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Darius Slay Jr. ( Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images)

The Eagles can move on from Slay by designating him a June 1 cut, which would trigger a $9.4 million dead-money charge in 2025 but free up approximately $4.3 million in cap space for this upcoming season.

A return to the Lions, who chose Slay in the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft could set up some serious drama when Detroit arrives in Philadelphia at some point during the 2025 NFL season.

Nov 24, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua (17) juggles a pass dropped, defended by Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Darius Slay Jr. (2) during the first half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Alex Gallardo-Imagn Images
Nov 24, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua (17) juggles a pass dropped, defended by Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Darius Slay Jr. (2) during the first half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Alex Gallardo-Imagn Images

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Avatar of Matt Lombardo, Staff Writer

About Matt Lombardo, Staff Writer

Matt Lombardo is a seasoned NFL reporter, with over 12 years of experience covering the league. In addition to his work at Gridiron Heroics, Lombardo covers the NFL for Heavy.com, is an on air sports contributor for FOX29 Philadelphia, and writes an NFL Substack "Between The Hashmarks." Lombardo is the former Senior NFL Insider of FanBuzz, and prior to taking that role was a national NFL reporter at FanSided where he hosted a weekly podcast "The Matt Lombardo Show." A former beat reporter for NJ Advance Media (Parent company of NJ.com and the Newark Star Ledger), Lombardo covered the Philadelphia Eagles from 2011 through the 2017 season before moving to cover the New York Giants for the Star Ledger for two seasons from 2018 through 2020. During his career to date, Lombardo has covered five Super Bowls, four NFL Drafts, multiple NFL Combines, and has had his work frequently featured in publications such as Pro Football Talk, CBS Sports, and more. In addition to his journalism work, Lombardo is a strong on air presence and is a former sports talk radio host on 97.5 FM The Fanatic, Philadelphia's first FM Sports Station and the radio home of the Philadelphia 76ers and Philadelphia Flyers.

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