Terms of Darius Slay's contract revealed; Steelers add depth cornerback
Darius Slay will earn $10 million this season after he agreed to terms on a one-year contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers following his release Wednesday from the Philadelphia Eagles.
Slay agreed verbally Monday to join the Steelers, but he had to wait until the Eagles released him at 4 p.m. Wednesday before he could agree to the contract, which will be finalized pending a physical.
The Steelers are paying their veteran starting cornerback $4 million more than Slay’s predecessor. Donte Jackson earned $6 million in 2024 under a reworked contract after his trade from the Carolina Panthers.
Slay becomes the fourth starting cornerback to join the Steelers in as many offseasons, following Jackson, Patrick Peterson in 2023 and Levi Wallace in 2022. Only Wallace lasted more than one season with the organization.
The Steelers also added to their cornerback depth by agreeing to a one-year deal with Brandin Echols, according to Fox Sports. Echols, 27, spent his first four seasons with the New York Jets. After starting 14 games in his rookie season of 2021, Echols has made just five starts in the past three years. Four of those starts came in 2024 when he had two interceptions and 40 tackles in 16 games.
The 5-foot-10, 179-pound Echols is an option for the slot. He also was a core special teams player during his time with the Jets.
The Steelers entered the day with $48.4 million in available salary cap space, and this amount does not count the Slay and Echols.
Joe Rutter is a TribLive reporter who has covered the Pittsburgh Steelers since the 2016 season. A graduate of Greensburg Salem High School and Point Park, he is in his fifth decade covering sports for the Trib. He can be reached at jrutter@triblive.com.
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