Darius Slay to Eagles: Details of Contract, Trade with Lions

Eliot Shorr-Parks
Thu, 19 Mar 2020 13:17:00 +0000
Eagles, Nfl

The Eagles have traded for Detroit Lions cornerback Darius Slay, according to an NFL Network report.

In exchange for Slay the Eagles are sending Detroit a third-and-fifth-round pick.

Slay will sign a three-year, $50 million deal that includes $30 million guaranteed, according to ESPN, a contract that will make him one of the top paid cornerbacks in the NFL.

Slay, 29-years old, has played in 103 games in his career, totaling 347 tackles, 19 interceptions and 104 pass deflections. He was drafted by then-head coach Jim Schwartz back in 2013, and it is safe to say the Eagles' defensive coordinator will have plenty to do with the team acquiring Slay if the deal does go down.

Slay is arguably more deserving of a big-time deal than some of the other top cornerbacks on the market considering he has a long track record of not only high-level play, but of making big-time plays. Slay has had at least two interceptions each of the last six seasons, and has averaged 17 pass breakups per season since becoming a starter in 2014. He leads the NFL in pass breakups since 2015 with 82 and is one of only two corners in the NFL to be named to three-straight Pro Bowls. Slay, who is excellent in man coverage, allowed only three touchdowns in 93 targets last season, according to Pro Football Reference.

The concern would be Slay’s age. The cornerback has played 16 games only three times in his career, and although he has never missed significant time, he has gone from 16 games in 2017, to 15 in 2018 to 14 in 2019. That isn’t a great trend for an older player that will be 30-plus years old after the first-year of the contract, and is reportedly going to be landing a three-year deal that would put him at 32 when the deal ends. Trading for Slay would also be an interesting decision after the team just let Malcolm Jenkins go in part due to his age and their desire to get younger.

Still, there is no denying the need for Slay, who would be a massive upgrade at cornerback and give the team the closest thing they have had to a shut-down cornerback in years.

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