The Eagles made their first big decision of the offseason Monday by revealing that they will release veteran cornerback Darius Slay, a 12-year veteran who made three Pro Bowls and played in two Super Bowls during his five seasons in Philadelphia.
The news was first reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter and confirmed by a league source.
Slay’s post-June 1 release will create $4.3 million in salary-cap space for the Eagles, but it also leaves a huge vacancy in the secondary. Slay, under the three-year contract he renegotiated after the 2022 season, had him listed as a $13.765 million salary cap hit in 2025.
Slay reposted a social media post on X that listed his career accomplishments shortly after the news of his release.
During his five seasons with the team after being acquired in a 2020 trade with the Detroit Lions, Slay started 73 games and had nine interceptions, solidifying a position that had been a glaring weakness for the team before his arrival.
Overall, Slay have made six Pro Bowls in his career and has 28 interceptions. He will at the very least be considered for Hall of Fame induction.
Slay, 34, acknowledged during the Eagles' Super Bowl run in 2024 that he was nearing the end of his NFL career, but he also indicated that he’d like to play one more season.
The Eagles, after finishing 26th overall and 31st in pass defense in 2023, rebounded in remarkable fashion in 2024, finishing first in both overall defense and pass defense.
Slay was a big reason why. He started 14 games and, according to Pro Football Focus, had the 15th best pass coverage grade in the NFL at 75.5. The Eagles, however, also got huge contributions from rookies Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean, their first two picks in the NFL draft.
Mitchell, the 22nd overall pick in the draft, started 16 games opposite Slay on the outside and was graded as the eighth best cornerback in the league by PFF. DeJean, a second-round pick and 40th overall, moved into the starting slot cornerback role in Week 6 and finished the year as PFF’s top-ranked cornerback.
Mitchell, 23, will obviously remain at one outside cornerback position and it’s possible that DeJean, 22, could move to the other outside cornerback spot. That is where DeJean played the majority of his snaps during his college career at Iowa.
He was asked about a potential move the day before the Eagles' Super Bowl parade.
“I like playing inside,” DeJean told NJ Advance Media. “I like being around the action. If they want to move me (outside), I’ll do anything really to help this team. But I like playing inside. It’s fun being around all the action and the different things you get to do in there. Being involved in the run game and taking on blocks and also having to cover.”
DeJean played so well on the inside that it might be difficult for defensive coordinator Vic Fangio to move him.
The Eagles top option on the roster to play outside cornerback if DeJean remains in the slot would be Kelee Ringo, a 2023 fourth-round pick out of Georgia. Ringo has made five starts in two seasons, but only one last year because Isaiah Rodgers filled the role of being the No. 3 outside cornerback after returning from a one-year gambling suspension. Rodgers, however, is eligible to become a free agent next week after playing 328 defensive snaps in 2024.
Eli Ricks, who has played 23 games and received significant playing time as a rookie in 2023, is also on the active roster.
It’s possible the Eagles could also try to find Slay’s replacement in either free agency or the draft.
