Eagles Legend Darius Slay Announces Retirement After 13 NFL Seasons

A Philadelphia Eagles legend is hanging up his cleats.

Last offseason, former Eagles cornerback Darius Slay alluded to the idea that the 2025 campaign would be his last. He confirmed on Monday afternoon that will be the case. Slay took to social media to announce that he is retiring after 13 seasons in the National Football League.

"Dear football, I wanna thank you for all you’ve done for me," Slay wrote. "I’ve been blessed to play the game I loved since I was [5 years] old for an amazing [13 years] at the highest level. Football was my peace, my joy, my everything. This game put me in a position to help take care of my family and loved ones and I’m forever grateful. It’s hard to say goodbye, but God has a new chapter for me and I’m ready to turn the page and start my new journey. To all my BigPlay fans, I will always appreciate the love and support y’all have given to me. I couldn’t have done it without you. Just A kid from Brunswick, GA with BIG dreams…✊🏽BigPlay on and off the field! We Out."

Daris Slay is retiring

Feb 9, 2025; New Orleans, LA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Darius Slay Jr. (2) takes the field before Super Bowl LIX against the Kansas City Chiefs at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Eagles fans will remember Slay fondly for the five seasons that he spent with the franchise. He began his NFL career with the Detroit Lions and spent his first seven seasons over there. He then spent five years with the Eagles. He joined the Pittsburgh Steelers for the 2025 season and almost came back at one point. The Steelers moved on and the Eagles placed a waiver claim on him, but the Buffalo Bills nabbed him instead. Slay never played a game for the Bills. He also said this offseason that no team can call him, except the Eagles.

The Eagles landed Slay ahead of the 2020 season and they certainly needed him. At the time, the Eagles were in a much different position in the cornerback room than they are right now. The Eagles have two First-Team All-Pros on the roster in Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean, but at the time, cornerback was a weakness. Slay was the clear-cut, No. 1 cornerback Philadelphia was looking for. He earned three Pro Bowl nods in Philadelphia and was a key piece on the Super Bowl LIX-winning team.

Also, one thing that is important to note, is that he worked directly with Mitchell and DeJean as rookies, who both spoke fondly of him. Slay was who the Eagles needed him to be. Now, he's hanging up his cleats and calling it a career.