Darius Slay Flirtation Leaves Eagles' In Awkward Spot

PHILADELPHIA - The Eagles and veteran cornerback Darius Slay were very close to a reunion before the Buffalo Bills stepped in and scuttled the desired end game.

Slay, who played five highly-productive seasons in Philadelphia from 2020 to 2024, was a cap casualty after the Super Bowl LIX-winning season and ultimately landed across the KeyStone State on a one-year deal with Pittsburgh.

Things didn’t go all that well for Slay, who is set to turn 35 on New Year’s Day, in the Steel City.

After starting nine games, Slay had seen his role scaled back in recent weeks before he was a healthy scratch for Pittsburgh’s loss to the Bills on Sunday. The goal for the Steelers was to get a better look at Asante Samuel Jr., who has returned to the NFL after a lengthy injury absence.

Slay was waived on Tuesday and awarded to the Bills a day later. An NFL source confirmed that the Eagles placed a claim on Slay but Buffalo was just ahead of Philadelphia on the waiver wire.

On Thursday, Slay decided not to report to the Bills while he weighs whether he wants to keep playing.

“Slay is honored that a first-class organization like the Bills claimed him, but he is going to take some time away from football right now and decide in the next few days if he wants to keep playing,” Slay’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, told ESPN.

Had the Eagles been awarded Slay he would have reported for a reunion with Vic Fangio and many teammates, according to a source.

The Survivor

Without Slay, the Eagles CB2 situation has been in flux with veteran Adoree’ Jackson holding the advantage over upstarts like Kelee Ringo and Jakorian Bennett, something that will likely continue.

“Yeah, at this point I would say so,” Fangio, who has called Jackson a survivor, said when asked if Jackson has locked down the spot with the current internal look.

Slay, of course, would change that but the six-time Pro Bowl cornerback’s contract is now the Bills’ responsibility. A retirement would mean placing Slay on the reserve/retired list and if he decided to come back he would remain Buffalo property.

The only way to get Slay back to Philly would be Rosenhaus convincing the Bills to release Slay and getting the veteran on waivers again where the Eagles would get another opportunity to place a claim on their three-time captain with others, perhaps with the exception of Detroit, knowing Slay wouldn't report.

Meanwhile, the obvious interest in a reunion with Slay by the Eagles is sure to be noticed by the current cornerbacks on the roster, who may not see it as a vote of confidence.

“You always are in constant communication with your guys about everything, and one thing you're always doing is correcting things that aren't up to standard and you're praising things that are up to standard," head coach Nick Sirianni said when asked about the Slay flirtation and its potential impact on others. "I think the guys have a real good feel of, obviously the communication, but they have a good feel for how we appreciate the things that they do because we emphasize those things.

”But communication's really key.”

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