Detroit Lions say they’ve had ‘good talks’ with Darius Slay over past couple weeks

While we continue to wait and see if Adam Schefter’s report that the Detroit Lions are listening to offers for Darius Slay ever results in action, general manager Bob Quinn may have offered a hint into potential extension talks with the Pro Bowl cornerback.

Quinn joined DetroitLions.com’s Tori Petry for a nine-minute interview prior to the team’s trip to the NFL Combine this week. Though Quinn didn’t give any specifics on where talks currently stand between Slay and the team, he did seem optimistic about progress.

“We’ve had a lot of good talks really over the last year or so, including just recently in the last couple weeks,” Quinn said. “So all of those conversations are good, but they’re private.”

Last year, Slay attempted to get a new deal by holding out of mandatory minicamp. The Lions didn’t budge, however, and Slay reported to training camp and played out the season.

Now it appears Slay wants to reset the cornerback market, and based on his social media posts, he’s eyeing at least $16 million a year. He’s also said that he’d love to stay in Detroit, but understands the business side of things and wouldn’t be against playing elsewhere. He recently joined Michael Rothstein on the ESPN reporter’s podcast and clarified his position.

“It’s a business so it should be looked at as a business aspect of it. If it was up to me, I would love to be here my whole career,” Slay said. “But one thing about a lot of stuff that comes, first is my family so I’ll do what’s best for my family, for them first and put my family in great position to never have to want for nothing.

“So that’s my goal, and if that’s being here, I’m here. If it ain’t, then I ain’t.”

If the Lions are trying to get a deal done with Slay, one impediment could be the ongoing collective bargaining discussions. The current CBA ends after the 2020 season, meaning both sides may be a little hesitant to sign long-term deals without the knowledge of important salary cap details in 2021 and beyond.

“I think there’s a little bit of a stall just because of the uncertainty of the CBA,” Quinn said regarding talks with agents of Lions on expiring contracts (not specifically Slay). “Because if there’s a new CBA, a lot of things can change in terms of how you structure things.”

Combine week is here, which means trade talks could ramp up as NFL general managers rub elbows down in Indianapolis. For now, though, all remains fairly quiet on the Slay front.

Oh, and in case you were wondering, Quinn also reiterated that Matthew Stafford is their quarterback and those trade rumors were bogus.

“He’s here. He’s our quarterback, and all those rumors, not sure exactly where they came from, but they were—like I said before—100 percent false.”