Darius Slay announced his retirement after 13 NFL seasons on Monday, ending a run of dominance that included two Super Bowl appearances, a Super Bowl win, and an All-Pro selection for a talented cornerback. Slay has always hinted that 2025 could be his final NFL season, and after being waived by Pittsburgh and claimed by Buffalo, the Pro Bowl cornerback was done. Slay was released to make room for Asante Samuel Jr. on the Steelers’ roster. According to Ian Rapoport, Philadelphia did, in fact, put in a claim to reunite with Slay, but Buffalo had priority based on the 2025 NFL draft order.
Slay decided not to report to Buffalo, and he’ll depart the NFL despite saying he’d answer for only the Eagles if a team needed cornerback help next season.
With the move now official, here’s instant analysis and key takeaways from the longtime Eagles and Lions cornerback stepping away.
This article originally appeared on Eagles Wire: Instant reaction to Darius Slay retiring after 13 seasons