Darius Slay Traded to Eagles from Lions for Picks, Signs 3-Year, $50M Contract

The Philadelphia Eagles bolstered their secondary Thursday when they traded for Detroit Lions cornerback Darius Slay.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported trade talks "first began around the trade deadline." Adam Schefter of ESPN reported Philadelphia dealt third- and fifth-round picks in 2020, giving Detroit five of the first 85 selections.

Drew Rosenhaus, Slay's agent, confirmed the deal, adding that Slay signed a three-year, $50 million extension with the Eagles. Schefter also noted the contract makes Slay the highest-paid cornerback in the NFL, surpassing Byron Jones.

Slay's exit comes after Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press reported in October the Lions "received multiple calls about Slay's availability." He highlighted Slay's affordable $10 million base salary for 2020 and the "dearth of top-notch cover men available."

There was also some recent drama between Slay and the Lions.

He recently said "it don't matter if I'm here or not" when asked about his thoughts on the Lions potentially trading him. What's more, he reported to training camp without a new deal, even though he spent some time away from the team in the offseason as part of a contract dispute.

Slay, a 2013 second-round pick, was a Pro Bowler the last three years and a first-team All-Pro in 2017 after recording a league-high eight interceptions and 26 passes defended. The 29-year-old is accustomed to matching up against top-notch receivers in the NFC North, including Stefon Diggs, Adam Thielen, Davante Adams and Allen Robinson.

The Eagles, meanwhile, were just 19th in passing yards allowed per game in 2019 and were torched by Terry McLaurin, Amari Cooper, Diggs, Adams, Marvin Jones Jr. and Julio Jones.