How much sense does it make for an Eagles-Darius Slay reunion?
Dec 8, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Darius Slay Jr. (2) reacts after a defensive stop against the Carolina Panthers during the fourth quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images Bill Streicher
Former Eagle and Super Bowl 59 champion Darius Slay and the Steelers mutually agreed to part ways on Tuesday afternoon following Slay’s healthy inactive designation on Sunday.
The Eagles, whose cornerback room is not the strongest, should absolutely be interested in bringing Slay back.
The catch is that all NFL players have to go through the waiver wire post-trade deadline. The order is the current 2026 NFL Draft order, where the Eagles are at 22. So, they would need 21 teams to pass up on claiming Slay before having a chance to bring him back to Philadelphia.
Slay cannot officially choose his new team until he goes unclaimed through waivers, and he could threaten to retire if he is claimed by a team he does not want to suit up for — likely anything outside the group of Super Bowl contenders.
The remainder of Slay’s 2025 salary in his likely final season before retirement is $348,611, which is affordable for a cornerback-needing team.
Though in his age-35 season, Slay has not been playing up to his typical standards. He has allowed a passer rating of 126.7 this season, the highest among corners with 300+ coverage snaps in 2025, per Pro Football Focus.
But then again, when you look at his coverage stats from just a year ago with the Eagles, he looks like a whole other player. He recorded career-bests in completion percentage (47.1), yards allowed (371), yards per attempt (5.5), 20+ yard completions (three), first downs allowed (15), and pass breakup rate (19.1%). His mentorship of both Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean from their rookie years that season also assisted them in becoming the players they are today.
The Eagles should have an interest in signing him. I mean, for crying out loud, they traded a sixth-round pick for Jaire Alexander, who played his way out of Baltimore. It seems obvious they would want to take a chance on bringing Slay back, especially with how depleted the cornerback room is behind Mitchell and Adoree’ Jackson.
A team that stands in their way is the Lions, who are 17th in the waiver wire and in need of corner help. Detroit also drafted Slay in 2013, so a homecoming to end his career would be fitting.
Benjamin Goldstein
Benjamin has been covering Philly Sports for Philly Sports Reports since 2017. He is a podcaster, writer, and founder of Philly Sports Reports. Benjamin is also an intern at the WBCB Sports Network on 1490AM. Through Philly Sports Reports, Benjamin has gotten the opportunity to meet Phillies owner John Middleton in his suite and be honored as the Philadelphia sports fan of the week for KYW News Radio. He hopes to be reporting on Philly sports as a full-time job in the future.
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