March 16, 2023   2 MIN READ

Run It Back!

Slay Return Keeps CB Tandem Intact, Helps Birds '23 Cap

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Darius Slay, once viewed as gone, isn’t just still with the Philadelphia Eagles. He’s also a little wealthier.

But the Eagles also gained as the two sides reportedly reached a new deal Thursday night for the five-time Pro Bowl corner, who signed an extension worth $42 million with $23 million guaranteed, per ESPN.

Slay, who turned 32 in January, was slated to make $17 million in non-guaranteed base salary in 2023, the last year of his deal.

Darius Slay

The Eagles got cap relief and a happy cornerback with their new deal for Darius Slay.

The new accord adds just $6 million in new money, but the extension allows the Eagles to backload the deal, theoretically lowering Slay’s cap number in 2023 as the Eagles could use more cap space this coming season for any additional free-agent signings or extensions.

There’s still a chance that free-agent safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson can return to the team and it’s likely that quarterback Jalen Hurts will earn a mega-extension at some point before the season.

Despite some major losses in free agency on defense, the Eagles held onto Slay’s counterpart Wednesday by re-signing James Bradberry to a three-year deal, ensuring the Eagles would keep their cornerback tandem intact into the near future after finishing with the NFL’s top-ranked pass defense in 2022 en route to the Super Bowl.

They also added, reportedly agreeing on a deal with free-agent cornerback Greedy Williams, per Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. Williams, a 2019 second-round pick of the Browns whose athletic traits coming out of LSU made him one of the top cornerback prospects in his class, has seen his pro career derailed by injuries.

He missed all of 2020 with a shoulder injury and played just 11 games in 2022, starting one. He has 23 career starts in four seasons.

– Geoff Mosher (@geoffmoshernfl) is co-host of the “Inside the Birds” podcast and staff writer for InsideTheBirds.com.

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About The Author

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Geoff Mosher is an award-winning journalist with more than 20 years experience covering the Eagles, the NFL and other college and pro sports across several different multimedia platforms. He is co-host of the acclaimed Inside the Birds podcast, the leading podcast for intel on the Philadelphia Eagles, and co-host on 97.3 ESPN's drive-time show. He has also hosted on Philadelphia's sports-talk station, 94.1 WIP and 97.5 The Fanatic. Geoff was the lead Eagles Insider from 2012-2015 for NBC Sports Philadelphia, where he wrote for the website and appeared daily on the station's TV shows, including Quick Slants, Philly Sports Talk, Eagles Pregame/Postgame Live and Eagles Extra. Prior to joining NBC Sports, Geoff worked the Eagles beat from 2005-2012 for the Wilmington News Journal, where he broke several major news stories and also won an Associated Press Sports Editors award under the category of Breaking News for his coverage of the sudden death of Phillies play by play broadcaster Harry Kalas. Geoff has appeared on ESPN's SportsCenter, NFL Network, NBC Sports Network, FOX29, 6ABC and has conducted interviews for Sirius/XM NFL radio and countless other radio stations across the country.

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