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Turns out there was more than an iota of truth behind those rumors linking Darius Slay to the Baltimore Ravens. The five-time Pro Bowler said he was “this close” to leaving the Philadelphia Eagles in a blockbuster move back in March.
Slay, who tweeted out a farewell to Philly when free agency started, revealed that the Ravens put an offer on the table and he thought he was going to be flapping to a different pair of wings in 2023. Baltimore was willing to pay him exactly what he wanted, but his desire to stay in Philadelphia proved too much at the end of the day.
“I was this close. This close,” Slay on the “Big Play” podcast, via NFL Media’s Christian Gonzales. “But I wanted to be an Eagle, I stayed an Eagle because I know me and Howie were going to figure something out. But the Baltimore Ravens were the first team that called, and they offered just what I wanted, and I just said, if the Eagles do that, I’m going to stay an Eagle. It was nice. I almost was a Raven. I was almost a different bird.”
There had been conflicting reports about Slay’s future at the time. His agent, Drew Rosenhaus, was granted permission to seek a trade and then rumors poured in about the Eagles possibly releasing Slay outright with a post-June 1 designation. Neither outcome happened.
Slay instead agreed to a $42 million contract extension (via Spotrac) that keeps him in midnight green through the 2025 season. It sounds like a staggering sum, but the deal was structured in a way to reduce his $26.1 million cap hit. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Slay will earn $23 million in guaranteed money. That amounts to a roughly $6 million raise from his original contract.
Howie Roseman Not Trying to Rip Teams Off
Following what appeared to be some lop-sided trades last year — including one with Tennessee which may have cost the Titans GM his job — there is a sense people may be scared to pick up the phone when Howie Roseman calls. The Eagles’ general manager scoffed at the notion, saying his goal is to work out mutually-beneficial trades.
“I hope not,” Roseman said when Jason Kelce asked him about rivals possibly being afraid to answer the phone. “Because everything we’re doing .. there is a fraternity, especially with GMs and the guys who have been around a long time, which isn’t a lot, but you don’t want guys to lose their jobs. You want guys to freakin’ make a lot of money. I want to find win-win situations, I really do. At the end of the day, I’ve done some bad trades, I can think of one right now, a terrible trade that I made. I don’t have some Jedi mind trick where you will do this.”
Jeffrey Lurie Ready to Lock Jalen Hurts Up
It’s no secret how strongly convinced the Eagles are about Jalen Hurts being the franchise quarterback. They are ready to hand him a lucrative contract extension, one that could border on $50 million per year. Team owner Jeffrey Lurie recently added his voice to the growing chorus hitting the high note for Hurts.
“We always knew Jalen was talented, had a very live arm that we thought was discounted in college because he was such a great runner, and his character was always considered great,” Lurie told reporters. “But maybe the advantage we had is we always respected his ability to throw the football, and that that would improve based on tremendous work ethic. I think the future is so great for him.”
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