Darius Slay Addresses Steelers Release, What's Next

PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers made the necessary, but still surprising, decision to waive veteran cornerback Darius Slay. The organization brought him in to round out their secondary, but his tenure ended with him being scratched from the lineup in favor of Asante Samuel Jr. and released from the franchise.

Slay opened up about his release from the Steelers on Speakeasy with Emmanuel Acho. Speaking with Acho, he described the move as a mutual break-up.

"It was a little mutual decision, man." he said. "Me and (Tomlin) chopped it up. We just thought that was what's best for us. Much respect to Mike T and that organization. It just ain't pan out as it needed to be. It was all good though. No bad blood with it. He's a great dude, great coach. He did me the right way and 13 years in, we had a great understanding."

What Slay's Release Means for Steelers

With Slay no longer on the roster, it paves the way for Samuel Jr. to become a permanent piece of the secondary. The 26-year-old was brought in as a free agent addition several weeks ago, and he's looked solid in his return to the field after a year away from the game. With his spinal fusion surgery behind him, Samuel Jr. figures to earn and keep his starting role for the remainder of 2025 and hopefully into next season.

Football players walk onto the fiel — Nov 2, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers defenders Joey Porter Jr. (24),Darius Slay (23), T.J. Watt (90) and Cameron Heyward (97) take the field against the Indianapolis Colts during the second half at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images | Barry Reeger-Imagn Images

What's Next for Slay?

The Buffalo Bills claimed Slay after the Steelers waived him, but the veteran has not reported to his new organization. Talking to Acho about what's next, Slay described himself as "50/50" on playing the remainder of the season. The main reason, according to the Super Bowl-winner, is to get back more time with his family.

"I've been missing out a lot of my kids' activities," Slay said. "Shoot man, mostly it's a family decision kind of to it... I just left my son's basketball game. I ain't se him play basketball because last couple times in Philly or whatever, I'm deep into the playoffs all into February. By that time his season is over."

The way he spoke on the episode, it seemed like he was willing to end his NFL career after leaving Pittsburgh. While he spoke favorably about the Bills and the potential to play there, his emphasis on his family and spending time with them suggested he has no plans of heading to Buffalo. If that's the case, he'd wrap up his career with 187 NFL games played and six Pro Bowl selections in addition to

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