Darius Slay landing spots: Eagles set to release star CB after contract negotiations break down, per reports

The Eagles secured a pivotal piece of their Super Bowl secondary Tuesday, re-signing free agent cornerback James Bradberry to a three-year contract. A day later, they’re losing Bradberry’s big-name running mate, with plans to release Darius Slay in the lead-up to free agency, per ESPN. Slay had recently received permission to seek a trade while negotiating a potential extension with Philadelphia. Those contract talks were reportedly not successful, with Slay bidding Philly a pleasant farewell on Wednesday.

“Nothing but love, Philly!” Slay tweeted Wednesday, hours before the official start of free agency. “Let’s see where we heading next.”

Originally acquired via trade from the Lions prior to the 2020 season, Slay spent three seasons as the Eagles’ top cover man. The five-time Pro Bowler totaled seven interceptions and 31 pass deflections during his Philly tenure. He signed a three-year, $50 million extension upon arrival but was due more than $26M in 2023, making him a potential salary cap casualty. His release will ultimately save the Eagles $17.5M this year, with the team designating him a post-June 1 cut, per NFL Media.

The Eagles figure to be in the market for another veteran corner with Slay’s departure. Former fourth-round pick Zech McPhearson is next in line as a potential starter opposite Bradberry for the time being.

As for Slay, here are a couple logical suitors:

Slay is from Georgia, and Atlanta still has a need for starting corner help opposite A.J. Terrell. The Falcons are committed to rebuilding the secondary after paying big bucks to land Bengals safety Jessie Bates III, and they’ve still got close to $40M in available salary cap space.

After losing Byron Murphy in free agency, the Cards are in the market for proven corner help. They’ve also got more than $30M in available cap space. Most importantly, new head coach Jonathan Gannon directly oversaw Slay as the Eagles’ defensive coordinator from 2021-22.

They aren’t flush with cap space but could free up enough money to make it work, especially considering they’ve said farewell to both Shaquill Griffin and Tre Herndon, the latter of whom is drawing interest from around the NFL in free agency. Old friend Doug Pederson, the Eagles’ head coach when Slay first landed in Philly, would embrace the personality for his secondary.

After watching the Eagles successfully poach an ex-NFC East rival for corner help (i.e. James Bradberry), Ron Rivera and Co. could value a veteran mentor/upgrade in their own secondary. With more than $16M in cap space, they could also offer Slay the chance to go at his old squad twice a year.