Eagles' Darius Slay Says He Nearly Left for Ravens Before Signing New Contract

Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Darius Slay had an interesting offseason, getting released by the Philadelphia Eagles before ultimately being re-signed in Philly.

But on Saturday, he revealed just how close he came to joining the Baltimore Ravens in free agency on his Big Play Slay podcast (4:25 mark):

"I was almost—this close—a Baltimore Raven. I was this close. But I wanted to be an Eagle, I stayed an Eagle because I knew me and [Eagles executive vice president and general manager Howie Roseman] would figure something out. But the Baltimore Ravens were the first team that called, and they offered just what I wanted. And I just said, 'Hey, if the Eagles do that, I'm gonna stay an Eagle.' I almost was a Raven. I was almost a different bird."

Slay and the Eagles took a wild ride on March 15.

It initially appeared as though Slay was going to hit the open market as the Eagles looked to trim his cap number.

He even said his goodbyes to the city of Philadelphia:

That gave him the chance to flirt with Baltimore briefly before agreeing to a three-year, $42 million deal with the Eagles that included $24.5 million in guaranteed money and a $10.2 million signing bonus.

The 32-year-old was excellent yet again in 2022, earning his fifth Pro Bowl bid—all coming in the past six seasons—while accumulating 55 tackles, three interceptions and 14 passes defensed in 17 games. His return was important for an Eagles defense that saw a lot of talent purged in free agency but will return both starting cornerbacks, with James Bradberry also re-signing with the team.

That was clearly a priority for the Birds this offseason—and justifiably so after Bradberry and Slay were arguably the best cornerback duo in football last season—as they had to let some talented players go in preparation of the massive contract extension Jalen Hurts likely will sign this offseason.

Included in that purge were defensive tackle Javon Hargrave, safeties Chauncey Gardner-Johnson and Marcus Epps, linebackers T.J. Edwards and Kyzir White, guard Isaac Seumalo, and running back Miles Sanders, among others.

Alongside their starting corners, however, the Eagles also retained defensive tackle Fletcher Cox, defensive end Brandon Graham and center Jason Kelce, a trio of Eagles legends. The team also signed backup quarterback Marcus Mariota, running back Rashaad Penny, linebacker Nicholas Morrow, safeties Terrell Edmunds and Justin Evans, and cornerback Greedy Williams.

The team also has two first-round picks in April's NFL draft, another opportunity to infuse the roster with more talent.