Eagles releasing veteran cornerback Darius Slay after 5 seasons in Philly originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
After five seasons, three Pro Bowls and a Super Bowl title, the Eagles are releasing veteran cornerback Darius Slay, league sources confirmed to NBC Sports Philadelphia. ESPN’s Adam Schefter first reported the news.
Slay, 34, helped the Eagles win Super Bowl LIX but in the playoffs recognized that his time in Philly might be coming to an end.
By designating Slay’s release as a post-June 1 release, the Eagles will eventually save $4.324 million in cap space, per OverTheCap. But they will have to carry his full $13.78 million cap figure through that date.
NBC Sports Philadelphia’s John Clark reported that Slay could eventually return to the Eagles on a different contract. We’ll see what happens.
During the playoffs, Slay said he wanted to play one more year in the NFL and knew it might not be in Philadelphia. Slay played well in 2024 but also had some nagging injuries and missed some time. He had a great relationship with rookie cornerbacks Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean, both of whom praised Slay’s leadership.
Slay was a captain for the third straight season in 2024 and took that responsibility seriously. The first time he was named a captain, Slay was nearly brought to tears. While he’s known for his jovial and fun-loving personality, Slay’s leadership meant a lot to his younger teammates on both sides of the ball.
Slay came to the Eagles in a trade before the 2020 season. In his five years with the Birds, Slay was a three-time Pro Bowler and played in 74 games with 9 interceptions, 56 pass breakups and 3 fumble recoveries.
Moving forward, the Eagles have two of their cornerback spots locked up with Mitchell and DeJean. They will have a decision to make about Isaiah Rodgers, who will become a free agent next week. Rodgers played a lot in 2024, often filling in for Slay, and played well. The Eagles could re-sign him to be the other starting outside cornerback.
But the Eagles also still have former 4th-round pick Kelee Ringo. Ringo is still just 22 as he gets set to enter his third NFL season in 2025. He was behind Rodgers on the depth chart but still has plenty of potential. There’s also a chance the Eagles could move DeJean to play outside cornerback or play both spots in 2025.
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