Report: Darius Slay, Eagles Stick Together With Two-Year, $42M Contract Extension

Darius Slay isn't going anywhere.

Less than a week after the Philadelphia Eagles granted the cornerback and his agent permission to seek a trade, Slay and the NFC champions on Thursday agreed to a two-year extension that runs through the 2025 season, per NFL Media.

That concludes a series of twists and turns over the last week for the five-time Pro Bowler.

On Wednesday morning, it appeared Philadelphia was prepared to make Slay a post-June 1 cut when the sides couldn't agree on a restructured contract. That came after a trade partner could not be found for the corner. Slay, who had one year remaining on his existing deal, carried a salary cap hit of more than $26 million for 2023. Late Wednesday night, in an about-face, reports emerged and were confirmed by Slay that they had been able to make progress on a revised contract after all to keep the parties together.

Those were manifest Thursday with what ESPN reported was an additional $42 million in new money, $23 million of it guaranteed.

Slay had three interceptions and 17 passes defensed to go with 55 total tackles during the 2022 season. The 10-year veteran has spent the past three seasons with Philadelphia, earning Pro Bowl nods each of the past two campaigns. He was a second-round pick of the Detroit Lions in 2013 and spent seven seasons in the Motor City, earning All-Pro honors in 2017.

Slay, who has 26 career interceptions, is an important component of an Eagles defense that could have seen a mass exodus of players this offseason.

Instead, he is the latest in a line of key starters who worked to stay with the franchise and keep their defense together. Cornerback James Bradberry re-signed for three years and $38 million on Tuesday, and a day later defensive tackle Fletcher Cox took a discount on a one-year deal to return. Those two followed edge rusher Brandon Graham, who had already agreed to a new deal with the team the prior week.

>> READ: Fletcher Cox, James Bradberry Re-Sign with Eagles

The defense has not been without its losses in free agency. A quartet of key players - defensive tackle Javon Hargrave, linebackers T.J. Edwards and Kyzir White and safety Marcus Epps - agreed to contracts with other teams this week. Hargrave went to the San Francisco 49ers, Edwards to the Chicago Bears, White to the Arizona Cardinals and Epps to the Las Vegas Raiders.

Safety Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, who led the NFL with six interceptions this past season, remains an unrestricted free agent.