Former Buffalo Bills cornerback Darius Slay has announced his retirement from the NFL.
The Bills claimed Slay off waivers in December to add some much-needed depth to their secondary. Yet, a day after he was claimed, Slay informed the team he was considering retirement and would not report to the team.
It was then revealed that Slay only wanted to play for the Philadelphia Eagles, so Buffalo didn’t release him to retain his rights. So, after not playing to end the year, Slay took to Instagram to announce his retirement from the NFL.
“Dear football, I wanna thank you for all you’ve done for me,” Slay wrote on Instagram. “I’ve been blessed to play the game I loved since I was 5yrs old for an amazing 13yrs at the highest level. Football was my peace, my joy, my everything. This game put me in a position to help take care of my family and loved ones. And I’m forever grateful.
“It’s hard to say goodbye, but God has a new chapter for me and I’m ready to turn the page and start my new journey. To all my BigPlay fans, I will always appreciate the love and support y’all have given to me. I couldn’t have done it without you. Just A kid from Brunswick, GA with BIG dreams. BigPlay on and off the field! We Out.”
Slay’s NFL tenure ends without him playing a game with the Bills after he didn’t report. He won Super Bowl LIX with the Eagles.
Bills Were Frustrated by Slay
With the Bills dealing with some injuries to the secondary, Buffalo opted to claim Slay off waivers.
The hope was that Slay would give the team some secondary depth, but he opted not to report to the team. In the process, the Houston Texans claimed Ja’Marcus Ingram off waivers, which hurt the Bills’ depth.
“I’m a huge Ja’Marcus Ingram fan and will always be, so I’m always going to be in his corner and want the best for him,” Sean McDermott said. “So that’s really where my mind is right now, and get myself ready to coach this game.”
Bills general manager, Brandon Beane, meanwhile, felt like it was worth the risk.
“Sean and I always talked about areas of concern…as the season goes on you obviously face injuries, and at that point in the season, Dorian Strong was out, Maxwell [Hairston] had come back, we were still kinda working him in there. If Tre [White] or CB [Christian Benford] goes down, the next guy is Ja’Marcus. We think with Darius Slay, his history, his pedigree, would be a good guy. We’re trending towards the playoffs here. So we talked about it. Sean, his coaches watched him. We talked about the pros and cons to doing it, and we ultimately decided to do it.”
Slay is a six-time NFL Pro Bowler.
Buffalo Address Secondary in Free Agency
The Bills fired McDermott and brought in Joe Brady as their new head coach. The team then hired Jim Leonhard as their defensive coordinator, and Buffalo has revamped the defense.
In the first wave of free agency, the Bills signed cornerback Dee Alford to a three-year deal worth up to $15.75 million. Alford recorded 67 tackles and 3 interceptions last season, along with 2 sacks, as he had the best season of his career.
The other moves Buffalo made to its secondary were signing safety CJ Gardner-Johnson to a one-year deal and safety Geno Stone to a one-year deal.
Gardner-Johnson recorded 66 tackles and 2 interceptions between the Houston Texans and the Chicago Bears. Stone, meanwhile, recorded 104 tackles and 2 interceptions with the Cincinnati Bengals last season.
Darius Slay Makes Career Announcement After Standoff With Bills