Feb 5, 2025; New Orleans, LA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Darius Slay Jr. speaks with the media during a press conference at Hilton New Orleans Riverside.

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Eagles Moving On From Darius Slay, What’s Next For The Veteran Corner?

Darius Slay - could a return to Detroit be on the cards?

Feb 5, 2025; New Orleans, LA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Darius Slay Jr. speaks with the media during a press conference at Hilton New Orleans Riverside.

It’s that time of the year when every team evaluates their rosters cautiously and makes the best decisions on what they feel is the right way forward. For the Philadelphia Eagles, they are about to make a big roster move due to financial situations. The Eagles have announced that they are letting their veteran corner Darius Slay Jr. go this offseason to save some cap space.

Slay, who is in the final year of his 3-year deal which he signed with Philadelphia in 2023, is carrying a cap hit of $13.78 million this year. However, the Eagles will release him after June 1, which gives them around $4.32 million in cap space as per Over The Cap. And while Slay has done an excellent job in the secondary for Philadelphia, they have found two very capable defensive backs in Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean.

Darius Slay will, in fact, be designated a post June 1 release, saving the Eagles $4.3 million against the cap. https://t.co/Sy4lXvUTeA
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 3, 2025

What Are The Possible Landing Spots For Slay In 2025?

Slay is a veteran having already been in the league for 12 years. Now, at age 34, Slay would potentially be signed to a short one or two year deal by teams looking to add depth to their secondary as well as a veteran presence with capable leadership qualities. The mentorship role is nothing new to him considering he was already performing that role recently.

At this stage of his career, wanting to go to a team with Super Bowl aspirations could be the best possible choice. However, if there is any thought of calling it quits in the near future, the Atlanta native may look for teams with cash to spend, having already won a ring this past season.

Detroit Lions

A return to Detroit may not be the worst thing for Slay. He started his career with the Lions where he played for seven years before being traded in 2020. His tenure in Detroit came to a bitter end with him not seeing eye-to-eye with then head coach Matt Patricia. Things, however, have changed drastically since then and the Lions have become a top team in the NFC having narrowly missed Super Bowl appearances in the past couple of seasons.

Slay has also voiced his feelings on a possible return to the Motor City while on a podcast in February hosted by Amon-Ra St. Brown and his brother Equanimeous saying “I love Detroit, I got nothing but love, that’s my second home.” When probed by Amon-Ra if he would like to return to Detroit, Slay had the following to say, “For sure, the two spots I would love to always be at are Philly or Detroit. The main two.”

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Baltimore Ravens

The Ravens are one of the top teams from the AFC and similar to the Lions have the potential to make it to the Super Bowl if they can just tweak a couple of things here and there. Led by 2-time MVP Lamar Jackson under center, Baltimore very nearly made it two consecutive AFC Championship games, falling just short in 2024. Baltimore could use someone like Slay to lead the secondary, and playing him alongside Marlon Humphrey and safety Kyle Hamilton would be a step up for them.

Washington Commanders

A move to the Commanders could be something to ponder upon for both parties. The Commanders are on the rise and it looks like they will continue being a potential threat in the NFC East with Jayden Daniels leading the way. Washington has just acquired receiver Deebo Samuel from the 49ers, and still has Terry McLaurin under contract for the year.

The Commanders look good on the offensive side of the ball and adding Slay to the team will give an instant boost to their defense as well. Moreover, with Marshon Lattimore playing on the other side, this could be a deadly 1-2 combination.

Atlanta Falcons

Landing in Atlanta may not be the worst possible outcome should it happen. Slay was born and brought up in Brunswick, Georgia, which means he has close ties with the city. It could be a good idea for him to play in front of his home fans before hanging up his shoes.

Moreover, the Falcons are quite possibly just a couple of signings away from making the playoffs. The NFC South has not been a dominant division in the recent past and Atlanta will have its chances at a postseason appearance. The addition of Slay to the secondary would elevate the position significantly, which already boasts of A.J. Terrell as the other corner and a strong safety duo of Jessie Bates III and Justin Simmons.

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Devavrat Kulkarni

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I am a content writer for the NFL team, and joined The Playoffs after working with Sportskeeda and NFL Analysis as an NFL writer. After starting my professional career as a French-to-English translator, working as a content writer is a new adventure for me. I started out in the sports media field for two main reasons: my love for sports in general, especially the NFL, NBA, and Tennis, as well as my passion for writing. The best part of this job is that I get to write a variety of pieces with the freedom to explore content from various angles. It also enables me to stay up to date with the sporting world, which otherwise can be difficult to do in the day-to-day grind. In a world full of chaos, sports unite and entertain like nothing else!