The Philadelphia Eagles are set to release All-Pro cornerback Darius Slay, according to multiple reports. Slay, who stated last month he wants to play one or two more seasons, hoped to either play with the Eagles or the Detroit Lions.

The Pittsburgh Steelers need cornerback help, though, and Slay is the type of veteran that head coach Mike Tomlin loves to add to a room. Slay, 34, still played well with the Eagles and was the starter opposite of Quinyon Mitchell.

He played in 14 games, and while he did not have any interceptions, Slay still guarded many top wide receivers, allowing just 81.9 quarterback rating when targeted, which was in line with his 2024. season.

Slay nearly signed with the Steelers in the 2023 season. He ended up patching things up with the Eagles to return, but the Steelers were in hot pursuit, and Slay has long admired Tomlin.

“Mike Tomlin, one of the best coaches in the NFL, man,” Slay said on his podcast, Big Play Slay. “What’s so crazy is I almost was going to them, too. They hit me up, too. T.J. Watt text me, Cam Heyward text me, and they talked about me coming there. Before I ever got to make a decision, they signed Pat Pete, so they kind of chilled out for a minute. But I was almost a Pittsburgh Steeler as well.”

The Steelers have options on the cornerback market, though. Slay is one of the oldest players in that market, even if he is still playing well. D.J. Reed, for example, is set to hit the free agency market and could be a long-term answer for Pittsburgh instead.