The rumors were there that the Philadelphia Eagles were destined to bring back cornerback Darius Slay after his release from the Pittsburgh Steelers, but that was ruined by the Buffalo Bills when they claimed him.
Slay's story is not over, though, as there is now a shocking twist that no one thought was possible. NFL insider Tom Pelissero is now reporting that Slay has told the Bills he will not report and is considering retirement from the NFL.
This season, Slay had played nine games with the Steelers, only racking up three pass deflections throughout the year. After being a healthy scratch from the Buffalo game in Week 13, the Steelers and Slay mutually decided to part ways. The reports were that the Eagles and Slay were interested in reuniting if he had cleared waivers, and the Eagles even put in a claim, but the Bills were ahead of them and got him.
Did the Bills outsmart the Eagles to avoid Slay being in the midnight green uniform?
Slay had a ton of success in Philadelphia over his five years, making the Pro Bowl three times and playing a key role in the team's two Super Bowl appearances. Eagles general manager Howie Roseman was big on the youth movement in Philly, so they made the tough decision to release Slay, who then went to Pittsburgh.
The Eagles are currently 8-4 and in first place in the NFC East. They were hoping to get Slay back in the building to replace the struggling Adoree' Jackson and Kelee Ringo at CB2, but there might be a reason Buffalo did what they did.
It may not be true, but it seems odd that with the Bills on the Eagles' calendar in Week 17, they would decide to claim Slay. Is this just a conspiracy, or did Buffalo try to gain a competitive advantage on the Eagles by blocking a potential reunion?
Read more: Dan Orlovsky just buried the Eagles' offense in the worst way imaginable
No matter, this is only adding fuel to a game both teams need to win, but the Eagles will have more motivation to take the victory from Buffalo.