Darius Slay granted permission from Eagles to seek trade: Possible landing spots
Well, we can argue about whether or not this is the right idea, and we probably will. Once the announcement was made, the Philadelphia Eagles fan base was split right down the middle (as you’d expect them to be), but regardless of what side you’re on, you had to know that this was coming. We even mentioned this as one of the bullet points on Howie Roseman’s offseason to-do list. Darius Slay has been permitted by Philly’s brass to seek a trade.
According to ESPN’s Dianna Russini, his agent, Drew Rosenhaus has been informed, and Philly is still hopeful that Number 2 can remain an Eagle. Naturally one of the first questions that need answering is where might he wind up. Here are a handful of possible destinations. Feel free to add to the list with a few of your own.
Darius Slay is coming off of consecutive Pro Bowl seasons, and he should have a nice-sized market as the new league year begins.
Here’s what we know. Albert Breer reports that Darius Slay “didn’t ask for a trade” and that “this is a part of negotiations”. In other words, the Eagles probably asked him to take a pay cut. He probably refused, and now, this is where we are.
If nothing changed, he represents a $26.1 million cap hit for Philly in 2023. Freeing themselves of that enormous deal would definitely give vice president/general manager Howie Roseman more flexibility in free agency.
Figuring the market out is tricky. Slay is 32 years old, and he represents a massive cap number, but he should still have some suitors. Here are a few teams that might be interested.
Arizona Cardinals
There’s no guarantee that it would happen, but Jonathan Gannon could use some cornerback help, especially with Byron Murphy set to enter free agency.
Atlanta Falcons
Three of the Falcons’ young corners are impending free agents. The argument can be made that EDGE and cornerback are Atlanta’s top needs, and for an aging corner, playing eight home games indoors could be of benefit.
Detroit Lions
The cornerback position is Detroit’s biggest need. Seriously they couldn’t stop anyone from throwing the ball. Slay loves the Motor City, The Motor City loves him. Keep your eyes peeled. A reunion is possible.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Might Slay join Doug Pederson in Duval County? As is the case with Detroit, the cornerback position is the biggest hole the Jaguars have to fill. We could see this happening as Jacksonville seemingly has NO issue with overpaying for talent.
Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings could use some help in their secondary, and they have already begun the process of trading players to create cap room. Just watch any of Minnesota’s games from this past season, and you won’t have any issues in figuring that out.
Also, Patrick Peterson and Chandon Sullivan are set to enter the free agency pool.
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers are strapped for cash, but their need for cornerback help is obvious. We aren’t ruling out Big Play moving cross state though.
Washington Commanders
The Washington Commanders, having A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, and CeeDee Lamb in their division, could stand to elevate their secondary this offseason. Also, Dan Snyder is their owner for now, and he doesn’t mind overspending.