The Pittsburgh Steelers are very likely to be in the market for a free agent cornerback to help fill out their 2025 roster while they continue developing younger players like Cory Trice Jr. That veteran option could very well have just hit the market with Philadelphia Eagles CB Darius Slay reportedly being designated a post-June 1 release.
CBS Sports insider Jonathan Jones has some new information on Slay’s 2025 plans and a potential landing spot for what should be the final year of his career.
“Darius Slay wants to play one more year, and his level of play dictates he’ll get a respectable offer and will likely want to go to a contender,” Jones wrote on X. “Slay played for Teryl Austin for 4 years in Detroit, so some sources wonder if a potential reunion in Pittsburgh could happen.”
Steelers DC Teryl Austin was the Lions’ defensive coordinator from 2014-17. That was from Slay’s second year in the league through his fourth. He became a full-time starter under Austin and they finished their time together with Slay’s first Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro selection in 2017 when Slay had eight interceptions and 26 passes defensed that season.
The Steelers recently brought in another top-notch cornerback for the final year of his career with Patrick Peterson in 2023. If this really is set to be the final year of Slay’s career, it might make sense to do the same with him. In that situation, the Steelers could use their first three or four picks of the upcoming 2025 NFL Draft on other needs and instead draft a later-round option to develop behind Joey Porter Jr., Trice, and Slay.
Slay said last offseason that he would love to play for Mike Tomlin, and he may have ended up with the Steelers had the Eagles not re-signed him ahead of the 2023 season.
Would he consider them a contender if that is one of the main things he is looking for in his next team? That part is more difficult to guess. The Steelers would likely need to make one or two splashy moves at the beginning of free agency to generate the type of buzz to entice a 34-year old veteran like Slay.
