Report: Eagles give cornerback Darius Slay permission to seek trade

The Eagles have given Darius Slay permission to find a trade partner, according to a report from ESPN on Friday.

The 32-year-old cornerback is entering the final year of his contract and will count for $26 million against next year’s salary cap unless the two sides can either agree on a renegotiated deal or find a team interested in trading for him.

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According to an NFL source, Slay didn’t request permission to seek a trade. The five-time Pro Bowler and former All-Pro said last week on the Montgomery & Co Podcast that he wanted to sign an extension with the Eagles with new money in the deal.

“Of course, I want an extension with the Eagles,” Slay said in the episode released last Friday. “I love the Eagles. They took another chance on me trading for me, and I panned out very well of course. But yeah, I love that money, so of course I’m going to be talking about it this offseason. That’s everyone, that’s what we all do when we’ve got one year left on our deal. We try to get the extension because it makes the cap low and then you get to start building.”

With roughly a dozen key free agents hitting the market next week and a possible Jalen Hurts extension looming, the Eagles’ financial situation is tight going into the next few seasons. If Slay is seeking new money in a reworked contract, it’s possible he could find a team with more space and willingness by surveying the market.

Trading Slay before June 1 would give the Eagles minimal cap relief relative to what a restructured deal would provide. According to overthecap.com, the Eagles would clear just $3.7 million in cap space by trading Slay before June 1. Converting his base salary into a signing bonus would clear about $17.5 million in space but would increase his cap hits for future seasons. Trading him after June 1, when the league allows contract charges to be spread out over two seasons, would clear $12.3 million in space next year and result in him counting for $5.3 million against the cap in 2024. If he’s traded, he’ll have dead cap charges through 2026.

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The Eagles traded a third- and a fifth-round draft pick to the Detroit Lions for Slay in 2020 and subsequently signed him to a three-year, $50.05 million extension. Even though he’s played well the last few years, his value will be lower on the trade market now because of his age. It’s also worth noting that this year’s draft class is considered one of the best for cornerback-needy teams in recent memory with a handful of corners expected to go in the first round.

Moving on from Slay would put the Eagles’ secondary in an even more uncertain space going into next season. All-Pro cornerback James Bradberry and starting safeties C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Marcus Epps are all set to test the market next week when free agency opens up on Monday. The Eagles have roughly $6 million in cap space, but could clear some more room by reworking right tackle Lane Johnson’s deal.

Slay was voted a team captain for the first time in his career last season and has become a prominent voice in the Eagles’ locker room the last few seasons. He had three interceptions and 14 pass breakups last season.

Jeff McLane contributed to this report.