Eagles releasing veteran Darius Slay has fans chalking out retirement options – “Welcome to the Detroit Lions”

Darius Slay was expected to retire with the Philadelphia Eagles after stating he would play one last season.

Eagles releasing veteran Darius Slay has fans chalking out retirement options – “Welcome to the Detroit Lions”

Philadelphia Eagles release Darius Slay after winning Super Bowl LIX (Image via NFL/X)

The Philadelphia Eagles are possibly looking at a dynastical run after winning Super Bowl LIX, which was their second trip to the big game in three seasons. Darius Slay happens to be one of those rare veterans who started both those games.

He knew all too well what went wrong in Super Bowl LVII. Darius Slay was part of a secondary that was good for much of the year. But then towards the end of that 2022-23 postseason run that secondary had some problems stopping runs.

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Those problems multiplied in the following season when the Eagles embarrassingly exited the Wild Card round. Fans and the media knew the team needed a retool and, expectedly, GM Howie Roseman went to work.

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Instead of focusing on top free agents, Roseman went through the draft, essentially bringing in Slay and fellow veteran corner James Bradberry‘s replacements. The latter’s season-ending injury gave the starting job to rookie Quinyon Mitchell.

Darius Slay has stated before that he intends to play just one more season. But with a near $14 million cap hit, the franchise sent these updates to ESPN’s NFL Insider Adam Schefter.

Eagles are releasing six-time Pro-Bowl CB Darius Slay, per sources. If he is designated a post-June 1 release, the Eagles will save $4.3 million against the cap.

Adam Schefter wrote on X

On paper, that $4.3 million might not seem to be major money saved. But when a franchise only has around $18 million to play with in free agency, those extra dollars make a lot of difference. They have to take decisions on standout free agents Zack Baun and Milton Williams, among others.

Fans believe Darius Slay has multiple options before retiring

All those needs might have pushed the Philadelphia Eagles to release Darius Slay. But fans know they took that decision after watching another rookie Cooper DeJean explode as a versatile defender. They also have younger players to depend on and hence thought it was better to move on.

Darius Slay will have a lot of suitors in final NFL season
Darius Slay will have a lot of suitors in final NFL season (Image via NFL/X)

It would have been fitting for the veteran corner to retire as an Eagle. However, he is still a good cornerback, and fans believe he will land on a contender in free agency. Their myriad suggestions filled social media, examples of which are below.

Darius Slay might not return to the Detroit Lions after his exit was marred by bad blood. But any contender looking for an experienced corner who still is playing at a high level might already be calling his agent. He might not command a good enough salary anymore, but he can wind up either on a contender or with a team that needs a solid veteran mentor.

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