Just months after coming up short of a Super Bowl victory, the Philadelphia Eagles had several decisions to make this offseason. That included dealing with five-time Pro Bowl cornerback Darius Slay’s contract.
At first, they decided to allow Slay to search for a trade out of town as they looked to avoid his 2023 cap hit of $26.11 million. But with the 32-year-old cornerback due a base salary of $17 million for what would have been the final year of his contract, teams didn’t exactly leap at adding that much salary to their books.
It got to the point where the Eagles seemingly had no choice but to release their starting cornerback, where he’d be set to hit the open market and surely draw a lot more interest with teams being able to set their own terms.
But all along, Slay maintained his stance that he wanted to sign an extension with the Eagles instead of moving on. While we know now that Slay was eventually able to get the Eagles to agree to a two-year, $42 million extension, keeping him in Philadelphia through the 2025 season, the All-Pro cornerback apparently came close to landing elsewhere.
Slay spoke out about the situation this week on his Big Play Slay podcast, revealing he nearly joined the Baltimore Ravens for the 2023 season.
“I was almost — this close — a Baltimore Raven. I was this close. This close. But I wanted to be an Eagle, I stayed an Eagle, because I know me and Howie were going to figure something out. But the Baltimore Ravens were the first team that called, and they offered just what I wanted, and I just said, if the Eagles do that, I’m going to stay an Eagle. It was nice. I almost was a Raven.”
Darius Slay on almost leaving the Philadelphia Eagles this offseason (H/T Pro Football Talk)
Philadelphia has to be thrilled with being able to keep not only Slay but also their other boundary cornerback, retaining James Bradberry as well. As tough as their passing defense a season ago, with their top two corners returning, the Eagles are set up well to maintain their success.
Slay has been with the Eagles for the past three seasons, making the Pro Bowl team each of the past two. It’s no surprise to see him wanting to remain with a contender after spending seven seasons with the Detroit Lions, where they never won a playoff game.
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