Philly Fans React To Wild Saga That Leads Darius Slay Back To The Philadelphia Eagles

The Philadelphia Eagles had perhaps the best roster in the entire NFL in 2022.

It helped leads Philadelphia to Super Bowl 57, where it fell agonizingly short of a second Lombardi Trophy in franchise history.

But due to salary cap concerns, and the impending massive contract for star quarterback Jalen Hurts, there were concerns about whether the Eagles and general manager Howie Roseman could actually keep the roster intact.

We saw the first causality of Philly’s cap crunch when star defensive tackle Javon Hargrave signed with the San Francisco 49ers. Pro Bowl running back Miles Sanders then bolted for the Carolina Panthers in free agency.

But since that point, Roseman has worked wonders.

The Eagles surprisingly re-signed Pro Bowl cornerback James Bradberry. They kept franchise legends such as Fletcher Cox and Brandon Graham. All-Pro center Jason Kelce opted not to retire.

But that left two big questions unanswered on the back end of the defense.

What would Philly do with star safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Pro Bowl corner Darius Slay Jr.

It appeared we got that answer when the Eagles allowed Slay to seek a trade late last week. Eventually, after no trade was reached, Philadelphia agreed to cut Slay, allowing him to walk for nothing.

But somewhere along the line on Wednesday, things changed.

Both Slay and Eagles management appear to have done an about face late Wednesday night.

And the corner ended up agreeing to a new deal in Philadelphia.

Eagles fans who woke up to the shocking news on Thursday morning were over the moon.

The 32-year-old made the Pro Bowl in five of the last six seasons and was a captain for Philadelphia in 2022. He also has 26 interceptions in that span, which is among the most in the league in that time frame.

Philly still have to find a deal for Gardner-Johnson. But if Howie Roseman somehow does so, the Eagles might be back in business in 2023.