The Philadelphia Eagles made a major move this offseason by releasing cornerback Darius Slay ahead of free agency. While Slay mentioned on his podcast that there were no “hard feelings” about the decision, he stirred up discussion by leaving Jalen Hurts off his list of the NFL’s top four quarterbacks.
Darius Slay Snubs Jalen Hurts in Favor of Other QBs Despite Super Bowl 59 Triumph
Despite leading the Eagles to a Super Bowl 59 victory, Hurts—who is signed to a five-year, $255 million contract—still isn’t universally considered among the league’s elite quarterbacks. That includes his former teammate, Slay.
On Thursday, analyst Dov Kleiman shared a video of Slay being asked to name the elite quarterbacks in the NFL. Here’s what Slay said:
“The elite go to the top four guys, you know what I’m saying? That’s how I do elites,” Slay said. “And like elite for me in the quarterback world are Joe Burrow, Mahomes, Lamar, and Josh Allen. Them the elites, they got their own, you know what I’m saying?”
Yikes: Darius Slay does NOT consider Jalen Hurts as one of the NFL's Elite quarterbacks.
Slay put Joe Burrow, Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen in their own tier.
😳😳😳
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) March 6, 2025
It didn’t take long for fans to notice Hurts’ absence from the list.
However, regardless of Slay’s ranking, Hurts has done plenty to prove he belongs in the conversation among the league’s best quarterbacks. Reaching the Super Bowl is no small feat—just ask Josh Allen, who has struggled to get past Patrick Mahomes. Hurts has made it twice in three seasons. He lost in 2023 but got his revenge two years later, leading the Eagles to a 40-22 win over the Chiefs to claim the franchise’s second Lombardi Trophy.
Darius Slay’s Philadelphia Release Was Expected
Slay addressed his release from the Eagles on his Big Play Slay podcast, making it clear that he understands it was just “business.” As he explained:
“I’m not hurt about it. I’m not sad about it because this is what I signed up for. I knew I gave that team and the organization everything I had. So, it’s always a possibility, though, of your boy coming back. It’s not always throw it in the back, but this time I’m just thankful enough that I could get ahead of free agency if I find a good destination for myself.
“But hopefully, you know, we’ll see how the Eagles do. If the Eagles do something nice, they know I’d love to be back. They know that, they know that, and I understand how this game is. Teams get younger. Teams want to save cap space because they pay younger guys for their future. And that’s why I said there are no hard feelings.”
After finishing as Super Bowl runner-up two years ago, the Eagles considered releasing Slay but ultimately restructured his contract to keep him on a two-year deal. Now, despite being let go, Slay hasn’t ruled out a return to Philadelphia. If not the Eagles, he has expressed interest in reuniting with his former team, the Detroit Lions.