The Philadelphia Eagles have watched multiple key contributors from their NFC-winning run sign multiyear deals elsewhere in free agency, and Darius Slay was at one point close to being the next such player to part ways with the team.
The Eagles entered the offseason with a dilemma regarding Slay’s future with the team, as the cornerback had a mere one year left on the three-year, $50 million deal he signed off on in 2020. The Eagles initially planned to release the veteran cornerback in order to free up much-needed cap space, but the team never officially released him.
Eagles general manager Howie Roseman wound up keeping Slay on the roster, as he came to terms with the five-time Pro Bowler on a $42 million extension deal that includes $23 million fully guaranteed.
On his “Big Play Slay” podcast, Slay took some time to touch on his contract saga with the Eagles.
“As y'all saw, I did get released, and that's because the situation was my cap,” Slay said. “My cap was very high, I had leverage as a DB, as a guy that got a lot of big cap, and for me to knock the cap down, I needed, I wanted an extension.
“So, we found a way to make things work. It was not a beef thing, it was nothing going on like it was a problem or anything. All I wanted was just to have a nice second-year guaranteed money. Gotta secure my future.”
Slay also revealed that the Baltimore Ravens offered him a contract in free agency, but he preferred to stay put with the reigning NFC champions.
“I was almost this close a Baltimore Raven, I was this close,” Slay said. “I wanted to be an Eagle, stayed an Eagle because I knew me and Howie was gonna figure something. But the Baltimore Ravens was the first team that called, and they offered just what I wanted.
“I just said, ‘if the Eagles do that, I'm gonna stay an Eagle.'”
Slay was a standout performer for the Eagles in the 2022 campaign. He featured in all 17 of their regular season contests, and he allowed an 83.9 passer rating when targeted mark.
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