What’s the Holdup with Steelers, Darius Slay Deal?
The Pittsburgh Steelers have the framework of a deal in place with Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Darius Slay, according to multiple reports.
But that deal can’t be made official until Wednesday, and unlike the rest of the deals agreed to this week that can’t be made official until Wednesday, this one is a little bit different. That difference also crucially applies to potential Steelers quarterback target Aaron Rodgers.
Players who have been cut by their previous team are allowed to speak directly to other NFL teams during the contact period, not just through agents. They can take free agent visits, and when a team makes a signing, it can be made official.
For players whose contracts are expiring, the acquiring team can only contact agents, and while they can agree to terms, deals can’t be made official. That’s the usual way of business the first week of free agency.
There is a third class of player, though, that both Rodgers and Slay both fall into. The Jets and Eagles both intend to release those players, they have informed the players that they will be released, and have given them permission to speak with other teams.
But their releases will not be made official until Wednesday afternoon, and even though those teams have said they intend to release them — there’s nothing holding them to those promises.
One of those teams could theoretically change their minds about that decision. Now, there’s a reason they’re waiting until Wednesday, and it has nothing to do with dragging their feet. They can’t designate those players as post-June 1 releases until then. They want the cap relief in 2025 that comes with doing so. That benefit can’t be realized by a trade.
So it’s likely those teams will go through with those moves as intended, and those players will be able to sign the deals they’ve agreed to, but that small amount of uncertainty is why things have been mum between the Steelers and Slay, and could be with Rodgers, as well.