Philadelphia Eagles star cornerback Darius Slay Jr. revealed on his Big Play Slay podcast that he nearly signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers during the 2023 offseason. The Steelers signed veteran corner Patrick Peterson instead.
“Mike Tomlin, one of the best coaches in the NFL, man,” Slay said on his podcast, Big Play Slay. “What’s so crazy is I almost was going to them, too. They hit me up, too. T.J. Watt text me, Cam Heyward text me, and they talked about me coming there. Before I ever got to make a decision, they signed Pat Pete, so they kind of chilled out for a minute. But I was almost a Pittsburgh Steeler as well.”
On March 15, 2023, Slay was released by the Eagles, but he resigned an extension the next day on March 16. Peterson signed a two-year, $14 million contract that included a signing bonus of $5.85 million on March 16.
Peterson lasted only one season in Pittsburgh, but the Steelers got their No. 2 cornerback in March when they traded wide receiver Diontae Johnson to the Carolina Panthers for Donte Jackson.
Through 14 weeks, Jackson has a career-high and AFC-leading five interceptions. It may be surprising to some, but Jackson always expected to have this type of production when he came to Pittsburgh.
“100 percent,” Jackson said. “I always knew what type of player I was. Just always grateful for this opportunity. I worked on myself a lot this offseason, so I expected to come here and ball out. Just grateful that I am doing that and just going to keep on stacking. It’s not about me. It’s about the unit.”
Slay, who is in his 12th season, is leading an Eagles secondary that rank second in pass defense, allowing only 178.5 yards per game. Rookie cornerbacks Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean are playing at a high level in Philadelphia.
The Eagles are allowing only 18.0 points per game, which is tied for second-best in the NFL. Overall, the Eagles rank No. 1 in yards allowed, surrendering only 284.2 yards per game.
Slay might not be playing at a Pro Bowl level like the last three years, but he still has an impressive 10 passes defended. Slay is coming off a big game against Carolina, where he had six tackles and two breakups. Holding onto a 22-16 lead, Slay had the game-sealing pass breakup on fourth-and-9 on the Eagles’ 37-yard-line with 37 seconds left.