The Steelers released Darius Slay after he was a healthy scratch in Week 13, and while reports swirled that he and the Eagles were mutually interested in a reunion, the Bills ended up swooping in and claiming him off the waiver wire. The Eagles and Bills are tied at 8-4 on the season, but due to the strength of schedule tiebreaker, Buffalo was one spot higher than Philadelphia in the claiming order.
After news broke that Slay wouldn’t be returning to the city for which he recently won a Super Bowl, Eagles beat reporter Jeff McLane insinuated that the veteran CB threatening retirement to avoid having to play for the Bills was an option. Turns out, that’s exactly the path Slay is considering.
The veteran cornerback and his family were likely surprised that the Bills put in a claim, throwing a wrench in their plans. If Slay does end up retiring, he would still revert back to Buffalo should he decide that he still wants to play — he can’t retire and then just sign with the Eagles.
The Bills could also see the writing on the wall and do a solid for the respected veteran (and his agent Drew Rosenhaus) and go ahead and release him, allowing him to go back on the waiver wire, and end up with the Eagles. That would be nice of them to be sure, but giving the reigning Super Bowl Champs some reprieve in their secondary with someone proven to be successful in their defense, seems like a big ask. Plus, the Eagles and Bills face off in Week 17, and could see each other in the postseason depending on how things play out — it’s doubtful Buffalo is looking to help the Eagles, even if it means forcing Slay to retire slightly earlier than he had planned.
Slay reportedly intends to make his decision over the next few days, so we won’t have to wait long to see how this all plays out.
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