The Philadelphia Eagles made a big move this week when they decided to release veteran cornerback Darius Slay after a five-year stint.
Despite the shock value of the decision, Slay doesn't seem too bothered by the Eagles' choice to release him. He understands that it's part of the business side of the NFL. And, he's ready to see what's next in store for him.
One option for him, he noted, was to return to the Eagles. The door hasn't completely shut on that opportunity.
“It is part of the business and, nah, I’m not hurt about it,” Slay said on his podcast Big Play Slay. “I’m not sad about it. This is what I signed up for. I knew I gave that team everything I had, gave that organization everything I had. So it’s always a possibility, though, of your boy coming back.
“This time, I’m just thankful I could get ahead of free agency if I find me a good destination for myself. But hopefully, we’ll see how the Eagles do. If the Eagles do something nice, they know I’d love to be back. They know that. They know that. And I understand how this game is. Teams get younger, teams save cap space because they pay younger guys for their future. And that’s why I said there are no hard feelings."
Slay acknowledged his age, but thinks he still has a lot of good playing left in him, especially coming off a Super Bowl win.
“I know I’m 34. I know I’m way out of my prime but still playing at an elite, elite level. I know me and Howie [Roseman] had a great talk and he said the same. It’s not that I can’t play, it’s just part of the business. He said we’ll see how things shake out and we will. So possibly, he might spin the block back like he did last time. He spun the block back and a year, two years later, Super Bowl champs. We’ll see.”
It'll be interesting to see where Slay ends up in 2025, as that might be back in Philadelphia. Otherwise, he could return to the Detroit Lions, where he spent the first seven years of his career. Other options include the Buffalo Bills, Denver Broncos and Kansas City Chiefs.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Darius Slay Was Nothing but Class While Commenting on Eagles’ Decision.
