Yesterday, it was reported that the Pittsburgh Steelers had agreed to terms with CB Darius Slay, who is expected to be released by the Philadelphia Eagles ahead of the new league year. Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio refuted that and said that the Eagles and Slay were still talking. No deal could’ve been signed since the Eagles haven’t officially released Slay, but now it seems as if the Eagles might try to get some value for Slay. On PFT Live, Florio said that the Eagles may try to get a draft pick from the Steelers or another team in a trade for Slay.
“The Eagles are holding onto just a little bit, maybe they can get a conditional seventh-round pick for Darius Slay. Because I think it got a little too far out of the bag, and now the Eagles are thinking, ‘Maybe we can wrangle a late-round pick from the Steelers or someone else for Darius Slay.’”
It was reported last week that Slay would be released, and so far, there hasn’t been any team willing to trade for him. The only reason that could theoretically change now is if a team that wanted him before the seemingly erroneous report about him going to Pittsburgh swoops in and makes an offer to the Eagles. The Eagles have some leverage, given that they haven’t officially released Slay, but it does feel unlikely that they will ultimately keep him, and Florio didn’t make it sound like the Eagles have any intention of doing so.
It may be worth noting that the Eagles moved on from DB Chauncey Gardner-Johnson in exchange for OG Kenyon Green, although Johnson’s snaps were almost entirely at safety while Slay only played cornerback. But it’s still something worth noting until this saga ends.
For the Steelers, I’m not sure how wise it would be to dole out a draft pick for a 34-year-old cornerback, even if it’s just a conditional seventh. It wouldn’t be the end of the world, but it might just be worth waiting to see if Slay gets released, because if a team hasn’t offered trade compensation yet, there might not be as much incentive now.
Darius Slay may well end up wearing the Black and Gold next year, and that’s probably still the most likely outcome of this whole thing. But if a team is desperate enough for his services, they could wind up acquiring him over the next day or two before the Eagles officially release Darius Slay after the start of the new league year.
