The first factor is that he\u2019s nearing the end of his career. Slay, a second-round pick in 2013 who just wrapped up his 12th NFL season, is now 34 years old and has played over 11,000 professional snaps.<\/p>\n
He remains one of just nine players selected within the top 50 picks that year who are still active.<\/p>\n
The second factor is that only two teams are on his list for finishing his career: the Philadelphia Eagles or Detroit Lions.<\/p>\n
Slay\u2019s current contract keeps him with the Eagles through 2025, but he carries a cap hit of nearly $13.8 million.<\/p>\n
If released with a post-June 1 designation, the team would free up about $4.3 million in cap space, which could be valuable as they aim to build on their recent Super Bowl victory.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve got one more left, but you know how that works,\u201d Slay said on the latest episode of the St. Brown Podcast, hosted by Lions receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown.<\/p>\n
\u201cHopefully, I can re-sign, but if not, we\u2019ll see what happens because I definitely want to play another year.\u201d<\/p>\n
St. Brown made his recruiting pitch, asking Slay about his love for Detroit. Slay, who spent his first seven seasons with the Lions before being traded to the Eagles for mid-round draft picks in March 2020, spoke fondly of the city.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, I love Detroit. Nothing but love for it. That\u2019s my second home. I still do a lot for the city to this day.<\/p>\n
A lot of guys from Detroit who are now in the league were hanging around me when they were just high school kids.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s the crazy part,\u201d said Slay, specifically mentioning Ahmad \u201cSauce\u201d Gardner (Jets), Jourdan Lewis (Cowboys), Avonte Maddox (Eagles), and Donovan Peoples-Jones (Lions) as players he mentored.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve done a lot for the city, and that\u2019s why I have so much love for it.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Lions may have an opening at outside cornerback, depending on free agency talks with Carlton Davis III.<\/p>\n
Acquired via trade from the Buccaneers last offseason, Davis started 13 games in 2024 before suffering a broken jaw in Week 15.<\/p>\n
Davis earned a 74.5 defensive grade from Pro Football Focus, the highest by a Lions outside corner since Slay posted a 75.0 in 2018 (minimum seven games).<\/p>\n
Slay, who recorded a 73.3 grade in 2024 while starting 18 games and helping the Eagles win Super Bowl LIX, reaffirmed his preferred destinations.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor sure, the two spots I\u2019d love to stay are Philly or Detroit,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The first factor is that he\u2019s nearing the end of his career. Slay, a second-round pick in 2013 who just wrapped up his 12th NFL season, is now 34 years old and has played over 11,000 professional snaps. He remains one of just nine players selected within the top 50 picks that year who are […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":26324,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,378],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-26320","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","category-detroit-lions"],"yoast_head":"\n