One of the Eagles' leaders in the secondary is on the trade block, but he has made it clear it's not of his own accord.
NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Friday that the Eagles gave cornerback Darius Slay permission to seek a trade from other teams. On Saturday, the five-time Pro Bowler took to his Big Play Slay podcast to share that he didn't request a move but understands Philadelphia's point of view.
"I just want my fans to know, Slay did not ask to be traded," he said. "But this is part of the business. There's no bad blood against neither one of us, me or (general manager) Howie (Roseman). None of that. We all good. Great understanding, just the business part of it. A lot of guys go up for trade, you know, it got a lot of money involved in this situation. It's nothing big. Nothing too serious, man. It's part of the business. "
Slay has come through on the football side of things since joining Philly in 2020. He's collected seven interceptions as an Eagle and scored twice on two fumble recoveries. A Pro Bowler in both of the last two years, Slay was an integral piece of a swarming 2022 defense that helped propel the franchise to the precipice of a second Super Bowl victory.
The Eagles fell short, and the business side is what might prevent Slay from running it back in midnight green.
The 32-year-old is due a $17 million base salary in 2023 with a cap number of $26.1 million, per Over the Cap, and the Eagles are hovering at just $6.6 million under the salary cap as free agency awaits.
A trade would bring relief, even at the expense of losing a talented leader.
10 years of NFL experience, including a previous trade, has allowed Slay such a measured perspective regarding his potential relocation.
He spent his first seven seasons with the Detroit Lions, making three Pro Bowls in a row from 2017-2019, a streak that began with a league-leading eight interceptions during his lone All-Pro campaign.
And when that relationship ran its course, the end result of being shipped to the Eagles was a fine conclusion for Slay.
"If my job requires me to go elsewhere, then I'll go," he said. "You know, I'm gonna enjoy my love, fun. I got a lot of years left in this game. I love this game, man. So it's only right for me to finish off strong. … I'm hoping for anything. Any great opportunity to go out and help a organization win. So, I'm looking forward to seeing this. I've been here before. Hey, and I ended up as an Eagle. We'll see where I end up now."
Unlike many of the wide receivers he covers, Slay is open to a move. It just hasn't come about by his request and isn't his primary goal.
"I do want to finish my career as an Eagle, but we'll see," Slay said. "We'll be looking forward to it. Got time here, but best believe, I do want to be a Eagle."
