As Super Bowl LVII approached, it became clear that Eagles cornerback Darius Slay continued to be motivated by the perception that former Lions coach Matt Patricia disrespected Slay when he was in Detroit. Slay’s motivation may continue in 2023.
With Patricia reportedly in play to join the defensive coaching staff in Philadelphia, Slay and Patricia may be together again.
It all started because Slay told Patricia that Slay had worked out in the offseason with Richard Sherman and Aqib Talib.
“He basically just said, ‘You are not in that category yet,’” Slay said during Super Bowl week. “At that time, I only had one Pro Bowl but now I’m at five, so I want to know how he feels about that now. I don’t wish bad on him, but as a man, me and him just don’t get along. He’s a smart coach, he knows his Xs and Os, but the disrespect is not what I’m with.”
Soon, Slay may be with Patricia, again.
It’s possible that Patricia targeted Slay because he was the biggest, baddest guy on the team. That’s The Patriot Way. Attacking the best player shows that everyone will be held to a high standard, or whatever.
Whether Slay simply says “whatever” or something more than that remains to be seen. He has a $17 million base salary, non-guaranteed, in 2023. And it’s the final year of his deal.