Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Darius Slay still has affection for the Detroit Lions, but not for the recent comments made by Amon-Ra St. Brown.
Last week, on the “St. Brown Brothers” podcast, the Lions wide receiver speculated about what a potential NFC Championship clash between his team — with a fully healthy defense — would have looked like against the Eagles.
Fresh off their Super Bowl LIX victory, Slay, a 2013 second-round pick by the Lions, responded to St. Brown’s comments and other critiques aimed at his team after their 40-22 domination of the Kansas City Chiefs to claim the Lombardi Trophy.
“I’m just on a rampage now, because this is what it is. After we won, all I see on the internet is, ‘Oh, we’re this close to the Eagles.’ Our guy in Detroit, I love him, I love St. Brown. He’s an amazing receiver. But I saw him say, ‘Yeah man, we’ll see what we’d have done with a healthy defense.’ All kinds of crazy stuff. Maybe this is how Kansas City felt when everyone was taking shots at them after they lost,” Slay said on his podcast. “I feel like the Bills do that to them a lot.
“We took our (butt)-whooping like champs and moved on,” Slay added. “You didn’t hear us complain about, ‘Oh, the field was slippery.’ Nah, we didn’t say any of that (expletive). We just took that (expletive) like champs because they put their shoes on just like we did. They were on the same field, just like we were. It wasn’t an issue. But when we win, it’s all this. My God, people don’t get it — we were top five in every category.”
Slay went on to mention that the only team he thought had a chance of beating the Eagles in the postseason was the team they defeated in the NFC Championship, the Los Angeles Rams.
“I think the Rams had the best shot of beating us in the whole postseason, in my opinion. Because they were complete,” Slay said. “They could rush the quarterback, but they couldn’t stop the run as well. They had a great offense and were really good at what they did.”
Despite defending his position, Slay, who spent the first seven seasons of his NFL career in Detroit, still expressed his love for the Lions, a sentiment he shared during the week leading up to Super Bowl LIX.
“A lot of teams were saying stuff — except Detroit. Detroit showed they did well two years ago, going to the NFC Championship. This year, they didn’t do too well. But Detroit, I’ve got nothing but love for y’all. Don’t get that twisted,” Slay said.
“Don’t get that twisted, I love y’all. I was rooting for y’all all season. The only time I don’t root for you is when y’all play us. So Detroit, I love you, don’t get that twisted.”
On Sept. 4 at Lincoln Financial Field, the Eagles will kick off their 2025 NFL season, aiming to defend their Super Bowl title.
During his podcast, St. Brown expressed his desire for the Lions to face the Eagles in the season opener. However, Slay pointed out that with offseason changes, the matchup wouldn’t be the same as last season — a matchup the Lions wouldn’t have won.
“That team is not going to beat this team. Win, lose, or draw, you wake up and say, ‘Oh yeah, this is what would’ve happened if we played them last year.’ No, you wouldn’t have, because that’s a different team. So get that out of your head,” Slay said.
“People will say, ‘Oh, we’ll see them next year.’ Well, you’re not gonna see us next year. You’re not gonna see the same team next year, you’re not. People are gonna leave, people are gonna get money. Free agency is coming. It’s not gonna be the same team. But I had to get that off my chest, because y’all have been talking crazy.”