The ongoing drama surrounding the Philadelphia Eagles, the Buffalo Bills, and All-Pro CB Darius Slay continues. Slay hasn’t officially retired yet, but he remains unsigned despite the fact that many teams around the league are searching for help at cornerback. The six-time Pro Bowler revealed where he’d like to play if he did return to the league, however.
A former second-round pick out of Mississippi State by the Lions in 2013, Slay spent seven seasons in Detroit before being traded to the Eagles in 2020. He helped revitalize Philadelphia’s defense, making two Super Bowl appearances and winning one following the 2024 season.
Following the 2024 season, however, the Eagles made an effort to get younger at cornerback. They cut Slay and drafted two stud young corners in Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean. Now, however, it appears that Slay may be open to a return to Philadelphia….
All-Pro CB Darius Slay Reveals He Will Only Play for the Philadelphia Eagles
GettyDarius Slay
Slay signed with the Steelers last season and had 36 tackles, three passes defensed, and a fumble recovery in 10 games, but he was cut shortly before the trade deadline. Seeking to bolster an injured and struggling secondary before a final playoff push, the Bills claimed Slay on waivers, hoping he would provide them with a veteran presence.
Except Slay never showed up in Buffalo. He refused to report to his new team. In fact, he was in attendance for the Eagles’ first game immediately following his release from the Steelers and subsequent claiming by the Bills.
It was pretty obvious that Slay never wanted to leave Philadelphia in the first place, and his lack of enthusiasm about playing elsewhere may have led to his release by Pittsburgh. Regardless, the Bills held his contractual rights, so he couldn’t play for any other team.
Now, however, Slay is a free agent. He can sign anywhere he wants. And he wants to play for the Eagles.
“No team can call me but the Eagles,” Slay said in a video clip that surfaced on Sunday. “So no [other] team can call me, just so everybody knows.”
“Yall be forgetting my 1st team all pro too now 
damn I worked hard for that!!!” he added in a retweet of the account that posted the original clip and called him a “six-time Pro Bowler.”
The Philadelphia Eagles Already Addressed Their Cornerback Need
Entering free agency, the Eagles did need more help at cornerback. Mitchell and DeJean are two of the best young corners in the league, but DeJean mostly plays in the slot. The other outside cornerback position opposite Mitchell was a problem area all of last season for the Eagles.
Philadelphia cycled through several different options, but none were very good. So they went about addressing that problem in free agency to make sure it wouldn’t be a crippling issue again. The Eagles signed former Seahawks CB Riq Woolen to a one-year, $15 million deal to provide a temporary solution to their cornerback concerns.
It’s only a one-year deal, so it wouldn’t surprise me to see the Eagles take a cornerback somewhere early in the draft. But Woolen’s addition to Philadelphia’s secondary makes it a pretty strong group.
Former All-Pro Cornerback Reveals He Will Only Play Again for the Eagles