The Eagles on Thursday morning traded a third- and a fifth-round pick to the Detroit Lions to get Pro Bowl cornerback Darius Slay.
Slay, 29, then agreed to a three-year extension that could keep him with the Eagles through the 2023 season.
Hours after the trade, NBC Sports Philadelphia’s John Clark was able to reach Slay for his first interview as a member of the Philadelphia Eagles.
Here is the complete transcript:
What was your reaction to the trade?
“I knew Philly wanted me last year, tried to come get me last year, and I was hoping to come here. I was pretty excited when I heard the news. Looking forward to coming down there and trying to perform the best I can and helping the team win.”
Did you know the Eagles were interested?
NFL
“I had a feeling they had their eyes on me for a minute. It was only a matter of time till it happened.”
What’s your relationship like with Jim Schwartz?
“It was good, even though it was a short period of time, it was only one year, but one thing about Schwartz, he was a genius, real smart guy, man. Knows the ins and outs of the defense and I know he’s got those guys flying around.”
You had Carson Wentz’s first interception. Do you still want him to sign the ball?
“Of course I still do. Now that we’re teammates, he’ll probably have no problem signing it. I hope he still would. Because I still got it, because that was one of my best games. I hope he does, but if he doesn’t, it’s all good.”
From playing against him, what do you think of Carson Wentz?
“Aw man, Tough guy. I’d just say very tough. When we scouted him as a player and as a team we knew he had great balance and great at escaping the pocket and extending plays. Very, very, very tough, man. You see him sit in the pocket strong, bouncing big guys off him, slinging them off him and making plays downfield. I believe in his confidence, I like how he approaches the game. He reminds me a lot like (Matt) Stafford, to be honest, so that was a good thing for me, because I like a quarterback who’s kind of tough and has a great mindset and goes out there and puts a team on his back. I love him.”
What do you bring as a player?
“I bring a lot of versatility. I can play outside, I can play slot, I can follow a guy, anywhere he goes I can go. If he lines up at RB I can play LB. With me, I was blessed with great ball skills and I’m a pretty fast guy and just have a knack for the ball, man. A knack for the ball. I like to cause turnovers. I love to give offenses great opportunities to put more points on the board, that’s why I try to create more plays on the defensive side.
Do you like the responsibility of traveling with top receivers?
“I love it, just because the fact that I just love to compete and I like the pressure on my shoulders. I just like to go to the guys and say, man, whatever you need me to do, I’ll do it. That’s how I end up following the best guy all the time, because they feel like I’m the best cover guy so I’ll go cover the best guy, and I just look forward to that job every week and I just go out there and try to do my best for my teammates.”
What do you say to those who say you had a down year in 2019?
“I say to that because they don’t watch film. I had a very, very solid year. This past year I probably went six or seven games without being thrown at but one time, and that’s with me following they best guy. So I’ve got a lot of respect, man. I’m not making Pro Bowls just to make them. Shoot, we weren’t even consistently winning in Detroit so for me to make the Pro Bowl on a team that wasn’t consistently winning it says a lot. It shows you’ve got a lot of respect. Not to diss Detroit or nothing, but you look at it like, a guy making Pro Bowl from Detroit, he’s got to be doing something (right) at the time."
What are your thoughts on playing in Philly?
“I played there twice, I can’t wait. Shoot. Looks like they bring a lot of energy, man, a lot of spirit to the games, the crowd’s into it. The only thing I have to adjust to is the cold because I’ve been in the dome so long. But I’ll be all right. I’ll be out there warm and ready to go. I’m very, very excited to be a part of that great organization.”
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