By Tim Graham, Dianna Russini, Mike DeFabo and Brooks Kubena

One day after being claimed by the Buffalo Bills on waivers from the Pittsburgh Steelers, cornerback Darius Slay has informed the Bills he will not be reporting to the team as he considers his NFL future, a league source confirmed to The Athletic.

The six-time Pro Bowler signed with the Steelers in free agency after being released in March by the Philadelphia Eagles. However, his time in Pittsburgh did not go well. He recorded 28 solo tackles and zero interceptions over 10 games. Additionally, he was a healthy scratch when the Steelers played the Bills on Sunday.

What’s next for Bills and Slay

Slay’s aversion to Buffalo is an embarrassing reminder of the club’s problems during its 17-year playoff drought from 2000-2016, when players such as guard Richie Incognito and pass rusher Shawne Merriman initially refused to report and then had to be threatened with fines to change their minds. Running back/returner Dri Archer was so opposed to Buffalo’s waiver claim that he retired.

Slay is a big name, but he is no grand prize or solution to any glaring Bills issue. He will turn 35 before the playoffs begin and has intercepted two passes since October 2023. He did, however, start all four of Philadelphia’s postseason games to earn his first Super Bowl ring.

The Bills’ decision to claim him does — at least for now — save general manager Brandon Beane and 30 of his colleagues from the inevitable and tiresome comparisons to Eagles GM Howie Roseman, who over and over gets praised for simply “finding ways” to accumulate players down the homestretch when other front offices cannot.

The Bills also aren’t likely to let Slay manipulate his way out of this situation. When receiver Anquan Boldin signed with them before the 2017 season (when the playoff drought was broken) and then retired after two weeks before the season began, he later asked the Bills to release him so he could play elsewhere. Beane refused to grant Boldin’s request and retained his rights. — Tim Graham, senior Bills writer

Why Slay’s time in Pittsburgh didn’t work

When the Steelers signed Slay to a one-year, $10 million contract, he was part of a transformation in the secondary. With Slay, Jalen Ramsey and Joey Porter Jr. together on the same defense, coach Mike Tomlin said in training camp that he felt the Steelers could match up in man coverage against anyone in the league.

However, over the course of the season, Slay looked more like a 34-year-old defensive back than a six-time Pro Bowler. In addition to his underwhelming play, Slay was also repeatedly injured. His place on the depth chart began to change in Week 10 when he sustained a concussion against the Chargers, opening the door for undrafted journeyman James Pierre to overtake Slay. Then, when the Steelers signed Asante Samuel Jr., Slay’s tumble continued, and he eventually asked to be released.

“I wish I had an answer, because I really like Slay, but it just didn’t work out, ” defensive coordinator Teryl Austin said Thursday when asked why it didn’t work out. “Sometimes the fit isn’t right, and so it’s in the best interest of both parties to probably move on, and I think that’s where we got. I wish him nothing but the best, because I think he’s a class, individual class guy.”

On a couple of instances throughout the year, Slay was self-aware and recognized that he wasn’t in his prime any longer. Ahead of the first matchup with the Bengals, Slay said that Porter Jr. and Ramsey could fight for who would match up against Ja’Marr Chase, for example.

“Whoever y’all want, y’all gonna get, and I’ll get the leftovers,” Slay said at the time. “I done had my time of doing that for a very long time, 13 years. This is the first year I ain’t had to travel. So, hey, whatever they need me to do, I’m willing to do at a high level.”

A few times, Slay also recognized that while the Steelers had two high-level corners in the same secondary (Ramsey and Slay), they aren’t as young as they once were.

“Man, I wish this would have happened when we was younger, so we could be a different type of beast,” Slay said. “But we still gonna be trying to do what we can do possibly be still one of the best in the world.” — Mike DeFabo, Steelers staff writer

Would Slay be a fit if he wanted to return to Eagles?

The outside cornerback spot opposite Quinyon Mitchell has been volatile since Slay’s departure in free agency. In terms of fielding a consistent lineup, Adoree’ Jackson has offered recent stability. However, the 30-year-old veteran, who signed an affordable one-year deal, has battled injuries throughout the season that have at times limited his availability. Slay, who missed two games with the Steelers in concussion protocol, doesn’t necessarily offer a healthier option. His wavering health in 2024 was one of the factors that led to his departure before his age-34 season.

Still, Slay is familiar with Vic Fangio’s system and could supply dependable depth if healthy — something the Eagles haven’t always had at outside cornerback this season.

Beyond Jackson, the Eagles have four other options at outside cornerback available on their 53-man roster. Kelee Ringo’s inconsistent play led to him losing the starting job to Jackson to start the season. Jakorian Bennett, acquired in a training camp player swap, hasn’t logged a defensive snap since returning from injured reserve with a pectoral injury. Fifth-round rookie Mac McWilliams is a consistent healthy scratch, indicating he needs more time to develop. Cooper DeJean, the team’s starting nickel, plays outside cornerback in base, but moving him there full-time would require a shake-up that’d put Michael Carter II at nickel. DeJean surrendered two deep passes within that configuration against the Dallas Cowboys, but it’s possible Fangio would have more confidence in fielding DeJean and Carter if given more practice time during the week.

However, Fangio has been reluctant to move DeJean outside. Adding Slay would give Fangio another option to keep that transition at bay.

It is clear the Eagles could use more dependable depth at the position. Coach Nick Sirianni was asked Wednesday about a potential reunion with Slay and how he’d handle the message that would send to those already within the cornerback room.

“You always are in constant communication with your guys about everything,” Sirianni said. “And one thing you’re always doing in this room is you’re correcting things that are not up to standard and you’re praising things that are up to standard. So I think the guys have a real good feel of … the communication.” — Brooks Kubena, Eagles staff writer