The Philadelphia Eagles are one day away from taking on the division rival Washington Commanders for the third time. This time, however, it’s for a spot in the NFC Championship. The birds have an added advantage in the fact that they will be playing at home. However, this could be a bittersweet conclusion for a fan-favorite Eagle.
The Looming Departure of a Fan Favorite Eagle?
According to multiple outlets like Bleacher Report, cornerback Darius Slay is preparing for Sunday to be his last game at Lincoln Financial Field. The cornerback said himself on Friday that while he is leaning towards playing one more season in 2025, it most likely will not be with the team he has called home for the past five years.
Slay also looks forward to watching Eagles games from a box according to the report.
A potential reason for why this surprising news has been brought to light is due to financials. The veteran cornerback is slated to make $13.78 million against the team salary cap next season. The team may decide that’s too much for an aging veteran and either trade or release him.
Slay’s Time With The Eagles
Philly acquired Slay from the Detroit Lions during the 2020 NFL offseason, and has been a consistent leader of the defensive unit ever since. After a down year during his first season with the team, Slay went to three consecutive Pro Bowls after that. The fan-favorite Eagles tallied 8 interceptions in that span and 37 pass deflections. He also had two fumble recoveries in 2021 for a career-high 116 return yards.
While this news is sudden and sad for fans of the veteran, it could also be added motivation. If this truly is Slay’s final run with the Birds, capping it off with a Superbowl Ring would be the perfect storybook ending for a devoted player like Slay. He already had one opportunity in 2022 when the team narrowly lost to the Kansas City Chiefs on football’s grandest stage. This would not only be redemption but also pad a potential hall-of-fame resume. Slay has earned six total Pro Bowls and one All-Pro nod. A Superbowl ring would almost certainly cement his status in Canton.
Also, even though in the future Slay’s departure would be a loss, the Eagles have prepared for this. They have drafted two young stud corners in Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean to take up Slay’s mantle.
The Eagles will also probably do some work in free agency to try and compensate his production. They will either try and find a cheaper option or use one of their mid round draft picks this upcoming draft for a slot corner. However, whoever they pick up will have an uphill battle trying to replace the veterans production.
It all comes down to tomorrow though. Will the Eagles be able to take another step towards a potential storybook ending to Slay’s career? For Slay, perhaps knowing this could be the last time in front of the Philly fans could be extra motivation to have a great performance. However, we will all have to wait and see.
Main Image: Bill Streicher – USA Today Sports
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