Assessing the fallout of the Darius Slay trade: Grades, salary cap implications, draft pick updates

The trade of Darius Slay, which was agreed upon on principle Thursday morning, will have some short and long-term implications for both the Detroit Lions and the Philadelphia Eagles. The NFL world was abuzz with analysis and opinions on the move from both team’s perspectives.

NFL Insider Adam Caplan believes the trade worked out well for both sides, with the Eagles getting a much-needed No. 1 cornerback, while the Lions got somewhat good value in return—a third and a fifth-round pick in 2020.

Meanwhile, CBS Sports’ Tyler Sullivan gives the Eagles an A and the Lions a B-. SI.com’s Conor Orr is a little less generous to both teams, giving the Eagles a B- and the Lions a C+. ESPN’s Bill Barnwell also gives the edge to Philly: Eagles B, Lions C-.

As for the Lions’ compensation, the Eagles had two picks in the third and fifth round. The Lions are getting the better pick in each instance, leaving themselves with these draft picks following the Slay and the Duron Harmon trades.

In addition to the draft picks, the Lions also get a fair share of cap relief because of the Slay trade. The Lions incur just $2.9 million in dead cap after moving the Pro Bowl cornerback, and get over $10 million in freed cap room. The Lions Wire’s Erik Schlitt has a nice breakdown of what Detroit’s cap situation looks like after the move. Long story short, the Lions still have around $12.1 million in spending money—and $32 million in total cap room.

Meanwhile, just about every defensive back the NFL has ever seen went to Twitter and congratulated Slay for his new record-breaking contract, defending him against anyone questioning his talent after a “down” year.

There’s much, much more. Just check out Slay’s Twitter account.

And in case you still think Slay’s 2019 season was a huge failure, this is a good reminder of just how impactful he was—and can still be:

And, finally, here is Slay’s goodbye via Instagram: