Back in 2020, the Philadelphia Eagles plucked Pro Bowl cornerback Darius Slay away from the Detroit Lions for just the 85th, and 166th picks in the 2020 NFL Draft. After three seasons with the team, including two Pro Bowl appearances and one trip to the Super Bowl, the 32-year-old ‘Big Play Slay’ has been cut by the team.
Slay himself reported the news on social media via his Twitter page, and NFL Network has since confirmed the transaction. According to Mike Garafolo, the Eagles are designating Slay as a post-June-1 cap casualty, allowing them to spread the amount of dead money left behind on the cap over multiple seasons.
This decision pushes $13 million of dead salary onto their 2024 salary cap figure while still impacting this year’s cap by roughly $8 million. Yet, by doing so the Eagles are saving $17.5 million on this year’s salary cap.
Slay becoming available now immediately makes him one of the top free agents available in a market that continues to dwindle down by the hour.
- Darius Slay’s stats last season: 55 tackles, 3 INT, 14 PD
Slay graded as the 21st-best cornerback in the NFL according to Pro Football Focus in 2022, and now he’ll look to take his All-Pro talent to another team, likely another contender. Meanwhile, James Bradberry is set to return to Philly, this time as the No. 1 cornerback, only this time he won’t have Slay covering the opposite side.