Despite signing a one-year, $10 million deal in the offseason, the Pittsburgh Steelers have decided to move forward without this six-time Pro Bowler. Even though they have seemingly a million problems on defense, that wasn’t enough to save this 34-year-old’s job.
Surely, the Ole Miss graduate will find a new home, but his time in Pittsburgh has come to an end.
Pittsburgh Steelers Part Ways With CB Darius Slay Jr.
No matter how much money head coach Mike Tomlin spent on his defense, it wasn’t enough. Going out and getting quarterback Aaron Rodgers was step one, but step two was building a defense that set the standard. Sadly for Tomlin and Steelers fans, that proved not to be the case.
Darius Slay Jr.’s $10M deal in the offseason will pocket him a pretty penny as he’s set to play with another team for the remaining five games. After spending seven years in Detroit, Slay Jr. went to Philadelphia for five seasons. He appeared in 10 games this year for the Steelers and had a D+ grade in PFSN’s CB Impact Metric.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter posted on X, “Steelers and CB Darius Slay have mutually agreed to part ways, Slay’s agents Drew Rosenhaus and Robert Bailey told ESPN. Slay is interested in continuing to play, and will consider signing with other teams. But his time in Pittsburgh has come to an end.”
Steelers and CB Darius Slay have mutually agreed to part ways, Slay’s agents Drew Rosenhaus and Robert Bailey told ESPN. Slay is interested in continuing to play, and will consider signing with other teams. But his time in Pittsburgh has come to an end. pic.twitter.com/hyHdBotxkm
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 2, 2025
Throughout his lengthy NFL career, Slay Jr. has never played fewer than 12 games in a season. With 36 total tackles in 10 games, he’s on pace to surpass the 49 he had in 14 games with the Eagles last season. For what it’s worth, 28 of his tackles have been solo while only eight are assisted. That’s been the norm throughout his career as a cornerback.
At this stage in his career, Slay Jr. would love to go play for a contender and try to make a difference down the stretch. The Steelers were definitely in the thick of it, but there are plenty of other teams that could use him as the season winds down. Pittsburgh, which spent all of this money on its defense in the offseason, is down yet another man.
Their defense has been far from ideal, and now they have lost a player they handed quite a hefty price tag to in the offseason. Granted, his contract was only one year, but that doesn’t change the fact that they owe Slay Jr. that entire amount.
One of the Steelers’ most significant flaws this offseason was their decision to age rather than get younger, and those veteran salaries came at a considerable cost.
It’s been a busy day for the Steelers as they added two-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Adam Thielen to give quarterback Aaron Rodgers an extra boost on offense. It remains to be seen how much of a difference the 35-year-old WR will make, but it at least shows that the Steelers are doing what they can to win a division title.