There’s only one Darius Slay, though the Philadelphia Eagles and each of the other 31 NFL teams wouldn’t mind having two. The resume is on another level. He spent his first seven years in the Motor City with the Detroit Lions before furthering his Pro Football Hall of Fame argument with an impressive five-year run in the City of Brotherly Love.
Just look at some of the accomplishments. He’s a six-time Pro Bowler (2017–2019, 2021–2023). Three came as a member of both franchises. He led the NFL in interceptions in 2017 en route to a First-Team All-Pro nod.
Slay was the first player to intercept a pass from Carson Wentz. He’s also beloved by Eagles Nation. Oh, and by the way he’s a Super Bowl Champion. There’s nothing left to prove, but ‘Big Play’ has made it clear. He wants to play one more season.
But, will he play that final season in Philadelphia?
Could Darius Slay return to Detroit and join the Lions as an Eagles adversary?
Stop us if you’ve heard this before. The Philadelphia Eagles have to make a lot of work to do with their roster. Free agency begins in March, and if Brandon Graham doesn’t retire, which he hasn’t done officially, the Birds will have to make decisions about 18 players on their roster.
Slay won’t be a free agent. He’s signed for another year, but his massive contract makes some wonder if he’ll be moved by the Eagles organization. If he is, that would allow Howie Roseman and his staff some flexibility.
He recently appeared on the St. Brown Podcast. Might a return to the Lions be an option? From the looks of things, he isn’t ruling that idea out.
And, how about those Detroit Lions? They’re no longer a laughingstock. They earned the top seed in the NFC when the NFL postseason began. They were eliminated by the Washington Commanders, but no one should rule out the possibility of them being back in 2025 for another run.
Defense was their Achilles heel. So were injuries on that side of the ball. Adding a veteran like Slay to their lineup increases the chances of being one of Philly’s biggest obstacles in successfully defending their title.
Stay tuned. As usual, this will be an interesting offseason. Expect the Birds to be mentioned constantly as we move through the process.