The Eagles have three secondary starters days away from free agency. One of the two expected to return now does not appear a lock to be part of the team’s 2023 roster.
Darius Slay recently received permission to seek a trade, Dianna Russini of ESPN.com tweets. The Eagles want to find a solution to keep Slay in town, Russini adds, but the standout cornerback will have a chance to be traded for a second time. The Eagles initially acquired Slay via trade from the Lions back in 2020.
One year remains on Slay’s Eagles extension, a three-year pact worth $50M. The Eagles gave Slay that deal upon acquiring him. Slay, 32, has provided a tremendous boost to the NFC East team’s secondary, remaining one of the league’s best corners into his early 30s. The Eagles, however, have the 11th-year veteran on a high 2023 base salary ($17M). In order to keep Slay, the team would almost certainly need to lower his cap number from its current $26.1M place. Slay’s contract number reached this place as a result of restructures in 2021 and 2022. No guaranteed money remains on the deal.
A trade before June 1 would not make much financial sense for Philly. The team would be hit with $22M-plus in dead money by moving Slay elsewhere before that pivotal date. A deal after June 1 would create $17.5M in cap space — though, the team could not use any of the new funds until June. It is not known if the Eagles have approached Slay about a pay cut or an extension.
The Eagles have been linked to hiring Matt Patricia as their linebackers coach. Slay and Patricia notoriously did not get along in Detroit. It would be incredibly odd to see a team prioritize a position coach over a productive player, so it cannot yet be assumed that is a factor here. Patricia has not yet been hired.
The Eagles have James Bradberry, C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Marcus Epps unsigned for 2023. They have identified Gardner-Johnson as a player they want to keep. Howie Roseman's team is frequently making splashy acquisitions and sweeping roster changes. The Eagles defense may look quite different in 2023, with the likes of Fletcher Cox, Javon Hargrave, Brandon Graham, Kyzir White and T.J. Edwards set to hit the market as well.
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