With the rumors of trade talks with Matthew Stafford officially shut down — again — the trade rumors surrounding Detroit Lions Pro Bowl cornerback, Darius Slay, are very much happening.
Tuesday, before taking to the podium, Lions general manager Bob Quinn said that the organization is having discussions regarding, arguably, the team’s best defensive player.
“I think what we’re trying to do is explore a trade,” Quinn said to a group of reporters, that included our own Jeff Risdon, at the NFL Combine. “That’s not saying we are definitely trading him. We’ve had some conversations with other teams. Nothing to report right now. We’re very much in the information gather phase of this.”
Slay is coming into the final year of his contract and has been very open about getting a raise for his efforts on the field. The Lions have a few options to consider, including trading him, giving him an extension or tabling the issue until after the 2020 season.
Since 2013, Slay has defended 104 passes which is the most of any defender during that time span. The standout cornerback has been selected to the last three Pro Bowls and was an All-Pro in 2017.
“It’s a huge decision,” Quinn said. “It’s a huge conversation that’s not easy one way or the other. We can see it from both sides. I think everybody here knows football and the knows the business side of it and you can look at it two ways and that’s what we’re trying to sort out right now”.
An even more interesting dynamic into the Slay situation is the love he has shown for the city of Detroit, regularly showing up to high school games on Friday nights around the Metro Detroit area. He has been very involved within the community.
Slay was interviewed at the Super Bowl about his contract, and expectations and has not wavered in his thought process saying, “if they give me a contract, I’ll be blessed and fortunate enough for it. Like I’ve said, I’ve always wanted to retire a Detroit Lion, but if it don’t happen, it’s cool, I’ll be alright.”
Quinn expects roster moves to start happening within the next few weeks and perhaps that will help shed some light on what the Lions will do with Slay.