Could Darius Slay finish his career where it started? The star cornerback has acknowledged the Super Bowl will likely be his final game with the Eagles and that next season will likely be his last. And the Lions could have a need for a proven vet at his position if Carlton Davis III walks as a free agent.
Regardless of where he plays next year, Slay will always have a place in his heart for the Lions. He spent the first seven years of his career with the team that drafted him in the second round in 2013, before an acrimonious divorce from then-head coach Matt Patricia in 2020 saw him traded to Philadelphia.
He's made three more Pro Bowls since, bringing his total to six.
"I got nothing but love for Detroit," Slay said this week in New Orleans, via the Free Press. "The Lions, man, for sure. That's the team that took a chance on me, a kid from Brunswick, Ga. So it’s always nothing but love.
"I root for them every time. I want them to win every game besides the game I'm playing against them in. But yeah man, that's home. That's my second home for sure.”
Slay expressed similar sentiments this season when he told Cowboys star linebacker Micah Parsons that he loved watching the Lions "spank on y'all" in Detroit's blowout win in Dallas: "I’m a fellow Lion, too, so I was rooting for 'em, you know what I’m saying? I’m a Detroit Lion, too. They the ones that helped me change my life."
Slay was 22 when he arrived in Detroit. He's now 34 and a father to three. He's also the NFL's active leader in passes defended (160) and ranks third among active cornerbacks in interceptions (28).
He's still playing at a high level, holding quarterbacks to a completion rate of 50 percent and a passer rating of 78.3 on throws in coverage this season, per Pro Football Focus. His contract comes with a cap hit of $13.7 million next season.
Slay credits "some great leaders" for helping him find his footing when he was a young player with the Lions. His rookie season was rocky.
"I had some great coaches, man, Jim Caldwell took his time with me, been patient with me," he said. "I had some great mentors on the offensive side with Calvin Johnson, working with him.
"Once I was able to knock a ball or two down from Calvin, I feel like nobody could get open on me cause Calvin to me is arguably the greatest receiver ever. So once I did that a couple times, I was like, ‘Yeah, nobody can't catch on me.’”
Who knows. Maybe Big Play Slay still has a few plays to make for the Lions.