Getting His Wish, Lions Cornerback Darius Slay Traded To The Eagles

Cornerback Darius Slay got his wish on Thursday after being traded to the Philadelphia Eagles from the Detroit Lions

Slay took to Twitter Wednesday hoping his trade out Detroit would be sped up after the Lions signed defensive back Desmond Trufant. Slay stated in his tweet, “Hope that speeds up my trade process!! They need to hurry it up.”

The former Lion was traded to the Eagles for two draft picks in this year’s draft, a third round, and a fifth round. Philadelphia also gave the three-time Pro Bowler a three-year, $50 million contract extension as part of the deal. This not only keeps the stud defensive back in the Eagles hands until 2023, but it now makes Slay the highest-paid cornerback in the NFL by average annual salary. This exceeded the rate in which Miami Dolphins newly signed cornerback Bryon Jones for a five- year, $82.5 million dollar deal that was agreed on Monday.

Back in January, Slay hoped for a contract extension, but accepted he would go elsewhere if it didn’t happen.

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“If they give me the contract, I’ll be blessed and fortunate enough for it,” he said. “Like I say, I always wanted to retire as a Detroit Lion. But if it don’t happen, it’s cool. I’ll be all right. Like I said, if I don’t, somebody will be getting a great player.”

Darius Slay Stats

Slay is, indeed, a great player. The Lions replacing a top defensive back like Slay will not be an easy task. Last season, Slay tied for the team lead with two interceptions and 13 passes defensed despite missing two games and leaving two others with a hamstring injury.  The seven-year veteran led the NFL in passes defensed since he entered the league as a second-round pick out of Mississippi State in 2013, and he’s often been tasked with shadowing the opponents’ No. 1 receiver in Patricia’s defense.

San Francisco 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman called Slay one of the top cornerbacks in the NFL.

“Slay doesn’t get enough credit and that’s, once again, the market he’s in and sometimes the team doesn’t have a lot of success,” Sherman said at the Super Bowl. “But he’s one of the quickest, most athletic cornerbacks in our game. Outstanding ball skills. I think over the last five or six years, he has the most pass breakups and interceptions. He’s a ballhawk, man. He’s a ball-hawking guy and I have the utmost respect for his game and I enjoy watching him play. “