Recently released cornerback Darius Slay says he has no hard feelings with the Eagles and is open to returning to Philadelphia depending on how things work out this offseason.

Slay, 34, commented on his release on his Big Play Slay podcast, which premiered Wednesday morning. Earlier in the week, we found out the Eagles were cutting Slay with a post-June 1 designation.

“It is part of the business and, nah, I’m not hurt about it,” Slay said. “I’m not sad about it. This is what I signed up for. I knew I gave that team everything I had, gave that organization everything I had. So it’s always a possibility, though, of your boy coming back. … 

“This time, I’m just thankful I could get ahead of free agency if I find me a good destination for myself. But hopefully, we’ll see how the Eagles do. If the Eagles do something nice, they know I’d love to be back. They know that. They know that. And I understand how this game is. Teams get younger, teams save cap space because they pay younger guys for their future. And that’s why I said there are no hard feelings.

“I know I’m 34. I know I’m way out of my prime but still playing at an elite, elite level. I know me and Howie (Roseman) had a great talk and he said the same. It’s not that I can’t play, it’s just part of the business. He said we’ll see how things shake out and we will. So possibly, he might spin the block back like he did last time. He spinned the block back and a year, two years later, Super Bowl champs. We’ll see.”

Toward the end of the 2024 season, Slay began to indicate he knew his time in Philadelphia was coming to an end. He’s a longtime veteran in the NFL and saw the writing on the wall because of his age and his contract.

Slay nearly left after the 2022 season and Super Bowl LVII but he and the team were able to find common ground for a return. He joked about that on his podcast.

“I was not surprised at all,” Slay said. “I remember going through it two years ago in ’22 after another Super Bowl run and they did the same thing. That’s what’s crazy. I love that I got me a Super Bowl but, God damn, I feel like every time I go on a Super Bowl run, we make it to the Super Bowl, the Eagles team seem to release me. God damn! You know what I’m saying?”

While Slay is open to a reunion with the Eagles for 2025, the idea of returning to Detroit to play for the Lions is intriguing to him. Slay was drafted by the Lions in 2013 and spent the first seven years of his career in Detroit. The Lions are another contender in the NFC.

Slay played well in this past season despite some nagging injuries that kept forcing him off the field. And Slay raised his level of play in the playoffs. After not having a single pick and just 13 pass breakups in 14 games, Slay had an interception and five pass breakups in four games in the playoffs and played well in Super Bowl LIX.

In his five years in Philadelphia, Slay was a three-time Pro Bowler, made it to two Super Bowls and finally brought home a Lombardi Trophy this past season.

He talked about two young players who are ready for more playing time: Kelee Ringo and Isaiah Rodgers. Rodgers, who was higher on the depth chart, is set to become a free agent next week. Ringo is under contract for two more seasons as a fourth-round pick.

For the last three seasons, Slay was voted as a captain by his peers, so the Eagles will miss his leadership. But he has an idea who will be the leader of the defensive backs room in 2025 if he’s not back: Safety Reed Blankenship.

“I’m sure he’s going to lead that group the right way,” Slay said. “That’s who I feel will be leading the group if I ain’t in that building is Reed Blankenship. Because he’s a great leader. He is a great damn leader. If they bring another veteran in that’s already been playing a lot, I could see them coming in and being a leader as well. But for sure, if I’m not in that room, Reed Blankenship will be a great, tremendous leader. A great one.”

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