Eagles' Darius Slay says he was 'this close' to becoming a Raven before signing reworked deal with Philly

The five-time Pro Bowl cornerback nearly left the Eagles this offseason

The NFC Champion Philadelphia Eagles were able to keep their top two cornerbacks from the 2022 season -- James Bradberry (three years, $38 million) and Darius Slay (three years, $42 million) -- despite overtures from other NFL teams. Slay's situation became so tenuous at one point that the Eagles allowed him to seek a trade. The five-time Pro Bowl cornerback revealed that during this timeframe, before agreeing to a reworked deal with Philadelphia, he almost joined a new team, the Baltimore Ravens. 

"I was almost — this close — a Baltimore Raven," Slay said on his "Big Play Slay" podcast. "I was this close. This close. But I wanted to be an Eagle, I stayed an Eagle, because I know me and Howie were going to figure something out. But the Baltimore Ravens were the first team that called, and they offered just what I wanted, and I just said, if the Eagles do that, I'm going to stay an Eagle. It was nice. 

"I almost was a Raven."

However, general manager Howie Roseman and Slay were able to come together on deal that keeps the Eagles right in the thick of the NFC race of years to come. The former Detroit Lion came to Philadelphia via trade prior to the start of the 2020 season, and he has been named to the Pro Bowl in each of his last two seasons with the Eagles.